Case 463
by Dryce
Summary: It started with two on a rooftop. And then another... Three bodies in one week. No fog, and the bodies are not from Inaba. Needing a little more help with the case this time around, the Inaba police department & Detective Shirogane specifically, have reached out for help from another detective. Why are these people dieing? Who is killing them? (M for later on)
1. Chapter 1

Case 463: -2 hours

Dreams, on the rare occasion that he received any, were a thing he clung to desperately. Something, anything, to escape the real world to a plane where he had complete control, should he remember how to control it and realize it was a dream before waking from it. This time he was more fortunate to remember and twisted it to his wishes for the simple dream he desired.

He walked along the beach wearing only his black and red swim trunks, the ones he had bought a few months prior at the mall while he was shopping for dinner. He liked those swim trunks. And it was a shame he hadn't been able to wear them yet. Or even go to the beach for that matter...

He walked along the sand, holding a chocolate chip mint ice cream cone in his hand, licking what ran down the cone and onto his fingers. Nothing ever tasted real in a dream. He pushed the realization asside, knowing if he focused too much on the not real then he would awaken. He heard her giggle beside him and he turned his head to look at her. He smiled at the girl beside him, noticing her slender fingers and arm wrapped around his waist. Her hands were warm and soft. He smiled at her and leaned over, kissing her forehead. The girl, shorter than he was, black hair down to the small of her back, wearing a slightly more revealing that neccessary swimsuit, giggled again and leaned her head over, resting it on his shoulder. He had his arm around her and pulled her a little closer as they walked. It was warm outside.

He noticed her chocolate ice cream was dripping from her cone as well which ran down her fingers and onto the sand. She didn't seem to care.

"You better eat that before it melts"

He could feel her smile in his shoulder and she brought it up to her mouth, licking at it. She seemed happy enough, and so he in turn was happy.

There were so few specifics he could make out from the dream, and it only made him fear deep down inside of him that he would awaken and lose the dream. But the acknowledgement of the fear only made it worse. He didn't want to leave yet. He was happy. For a brief moment he was actually happy. Happy with the setting, happy with the girl, happy with the tasteless ice cream, and even happy with the fact that it was only a dream.

But all good things had to come to an end. And when it began to get foggy, he felt a pang of disappointment and even a dash of sorrow rush through him as the girl stepped from him, disappearing in a wisp of grey smoke. He sighed and stopped walking along the now cold sand and turned his gaze to the watery horizon, his eyes dancing upon the details as the water rose from the ocean and blew away like leaves. The sun grew more and more distant until it was nothing more than a star in the black sky. He was alone on the beach, now his own little six by six patch of nothing. Nothing existed past that patch of sand he stood on.

He was still dreaming, but now there was only so much he could change . He leaned down, tying up one of his shoes, pulling the black laces tight in a bow. As he stood up, he adjusted his dark blue tie. No little gold chain on it this time. He turned his hands upward, gripping the sleeves of his suit jacket and pulling them down to straighten them. He liked this suit. He ran a hand through his medium length black hair, and shook it out. He was ready for what came next. And he had been having such a good time…

He waited to hear the growl. The deep throaty sound of the animal that stood behind him echoed in the blackness. Always there. Always watching. He was always watching. He didn't turn around as the footsteps approached him, feeling the sand beneath his shoes shift to accommodate the animal behind him. He could feel the beast's presence towering over him. He could feel the hot lingering breath brush against the back of the neck. He wasn't scared. How could he be? He had been here so many times before.

The sound of metal on metal cut through the silence between the two of them as its weapon was drawn from its sheath. The tip of the thick blade came down alongside his left shoulder just barely avoiding contact with the sleeve of his jacket. He could see himself in the reflection of the shiny blade as it came to rest alongside his arm and hand. The creature behind him took in a deep breath and just as sound came from it, just as the roar was about to leave its jaws, he felt a shake inside of him as he fought to suppress the animals roar boiling up inside him.

His eyes opened quickly and he pushed himself away from his window seat to sit upright. His eyes moved from side to side in panic, taking in his surroundings having completely forgotten where he was. He was alone. He glanced into the next cart of the train. No one. He glanced into the cart behind him. A few people. Man. woman. Two children. He couldn't see a ring on the woman's hand. They were the man's children. He shook his head and sat back upright in his seat. Only then did he realize his breathing was erratic. He took deep breaths trying to calm himself. His chest hurt and he leaned his head back against his seat, trying to calm down and calm his furiously beating heart.

He rubbed at the spot in his chest that hurt, sighing as he took big gulps of air to calm down. And eventually he did. He let out his breaths slowly. If he smoked, now would be the time he wanted one the most. He turned his head slowly; letting it fall to one side as he looked out the window, hand still on his chest rubbing.

It was beautiful outside the train. And even though he was still a little shaken, he smiled watching the trees wiz past the glass along with tall grass and small houses. The country. A far simpler life. Sometimes, even places time had forgotten entirely.

His smile faded quickly when he heard the growl again and he chewed his tongue a bit before responding.

"You couldn't let me get just a few hours of sleep, could you?"

He was angry, but at the same time, he trusted the voice in his head with his life. He would get over it.

"I was having a good dream"

The growl responded again in his mind as he leaned forward, to hold his head and run his hands along his face trying to wipe away the sleep. He was exhausted. And the time change between here and home was ridiculous. He had been hoping for at least two days to get over his jet lag, but he supposed this was one of those times where not sleeping was a gift rather than a curse when switching between such drastic time zones.

He opened his eyes from between his fingers. His shoe was untied. He sighed and reached down, tying it in its tight bow. He looked down at his tie. Good. The small gold chain was there.

He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. The low constant growl in his ears would keep him awake, but at least he could get a cat nap in before his stop.

"Attention all passengers, attention all passengers: Next stop, Yasoinaba station. Next stop, Yasoinaba station"

"Damn it"

He sighed and stretched out his arms and legs before he stood up. He had been sitting for hours. He wanted nothing more than to get to his place and fall down on his bed and go to sleep. But he knew that it wasn't meant to be. He wouldn't fall asleep anyway. Not with the growling. But he **was** hungry. Maybe he could convince his co-worker to get something to eat if he paid. He reached up above him to his bags, pulling down his suitcase and the case for his violin. He got down on his knees by his seat and cracked the case. It was fine. A flood of relief ran through him before snapping the case shut again and getting up.

There seemed to be more people on the train now. When had they been there? Had they always been there? He thought not. But perhaps in his sleep induced and panic struck stupor he had missed them when he had looked around. He was content with that answer. He could count maybe twelve that were getting off. Several families no doubt coming back from a small weekend trip to the city and a few business men of various skill sets in their jobs based on their shoes. One scraggly looking, un-kept man with a gold watch caught his eye as he took down his bags. The man looked more exhausted than he did. Nice watch. He followed the small crowd as they made their way to the appropriate doors to exit the train as it came to its screeing gentle stop.

As he stepped off the train and made his way through the small terminal, he glanced about looking for his handler. He couldn't see them. He expected the Inaba police to be more punctual than this. Then again, this wasn't the city. But in his mind he put the detective on a higher place and had expected them to be on time if not early. Was the detective waiting outside?

"Sebastian Chastity?"

His name twitched his ears as he turned in the direction of it. The voice, quiet and smooth yet authoritative.

"Are you detective Chastity?"

The voice came from near the exit of the terminal and he followed his name. The English was superb for this deep into the country. Signs of a rather intelligent being. His hopes were not dashed for the detective.

When he finally saw his handler he threw away all previous notions of the tardiness of both the police department and the detective and gave them a clean slate in his head. The detective had been there then entire time out of the way of the crowd, hidden in the shadows of the terminal. The scraggly man with the gold watch was standing in front of who he assumed was his handler, suitcase in hand.

The man's hair was black and un-kept. It looked a little greasy. His grey suit, which was cheap and hideous, was wrinkled and stained in several places. The buttons were in their wrong place making the suit look uneven. His suitcase was thick plastic and had articles of clothing hanging out from it. Several pieces of paper stuck from it as well. Work and clothing in the same bag. The man kept pushing his glasses back onto his face. A representation of his lack of care or funding to purchase proper prescription glasses being evident. He deduced: no doubt outside of his work healthcare budget. If there was ever a man to represent a stereotype of stress, lack of professionalism, rushed, and straining, in the world, this was the man. He was sweating too.

The very idea that the detective would believe that this…husk…was him was almost a little hurtful. His employer had faxed his information to the Inaba police department five days ago. Did he not fax a picture? Or even e-mail one? It was 2014! How hard was it to attach a picture of him to an e-mail? Or perhaps it was scrambled like every other photo...

He was a little surprised he was getting angry over this and decided to simply swallow it to let the anger burn in his stomach.

The man waved off the detective as he walked by, dismissing the misguided claim.

As he approached, he took the detective in, opening a new folder in his mind specifically for his handler. The detective wore a dark blue overcoat that covered most of their body with black slacks and a black dress shirt underneath the jacket with white ribbon around the neck. A bit more of an un-necessary aesthetic choice, but he had his gold chain on his tie so he wasn't one to complain. Black boots on their feet. They looked expensive. Good. The detective had taste. Finally, atop their head rested a blue hat almost like a signature to the piece. Nice hat. The detective wore black gloves pulled back tight. He noticed the damage around the wrists of the gloved. They were pulled often. The detective wore a slender black watch around the right wrist. It too looked expensive. The detective looked good.

The detective checked the time. Then again. Then a third time. He finally called out as he approached, weaving his way through the small crowd not wanting to touch anyone. And as he approached, the constant growling in his head that kept him awake, the growl that prevented him from sleeping and always spoke outright and guided him through his hardships and troubled times… grew silent and faded away. For a moment, he felt so alone in the world and was awestruck at the event. The creature from his dreams and nightmares had grown quiet. Why? He felt…hollow. And at the same time, he felt so tired, like he could have passed out right there on the stone of the train terminal. He even felt his legs start to shake slightly and he bit down hard on his tongue to prevent himself from faltering as he moved.

"What is it?"

There came no response. No growl or jaw snap or snarl or words of any kind. Silence. He stopped for a moment and spoke again.

"Don't disappear on me now. What's wrong?"

He tried to focus, now in a slight state of panic. He didn't have time for this. This was entirely unprofessional. He could hear it breathing. He could hear the creature inside of him breathing quietly in the blackness of his mind. He could feel it shying away.

"Fine. Be that way. But if you cause any problems then I'm not eating breakfast tomorrow. Understand?"

In the back of his mind he heard the faintest growl before silence resumed. It was strange being inside his head again with no one there to listen into his thoughts or ideas without retort or comment or praise. A little liberating even. At the same time, wrong. He cleared his throat and bit his tongue again to get himself moving.

"Detective!"

He cleared his throat before speaking again.

"Detective Shirogane?"

As the figure turned to look at him, he gave a small smile and bent his knees to place his suitcase and violin case on the ground. Hands by his sides, he bowed his head.

"It is an honor to meet you in person, Detective"

Before he even leaned up, three little words flooded into his mind.

_'Case 463: Start.'_


	2. Chapter 2

Case 463: -525 hours

How long had it been? Two? Three years? No. Two years. Two years since the last reported incident. And now, hands trembling as he took down notes, the police officer on the phone began to panic deep inside his chest. His phone call hadn't even ended yet, nor had he told a superior, but already he was sweating up a storm. The woman on the phone was frantic, breathing rapidly, and words tumbled out of her mouth in terror. Two years. Two years of quiet. And now this. He said his thanks and goodbyes, taking down the woman's name and number before he slowly pried the phone off his head and set it down on his desk.

For a moment, the young police officer said nothing, sitting quietly at his desk, his chest raising and dropping deeply as he tried to prevent himself from having a panic attack. How long would this one go on for? The last one lasted a year. But this one? How many would die this time?

Slowly on shaking legs, the man stood up from his seat and let it roll back. He moved carefully from his desk, heading to his superiors office down the hallway, dragging his feet as he moved. He wondered if he would pass out before he hit the office, and rather than collapse and make a fool of himself, he used his hand to push and brace against the wall as he moved to prevent it from happening. When he reached the thick wooden door of the police chief's office, he paused as he moved to knock, losing his nerve. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard before knocking. The chief was in a meeting. This could get bad.

The man sitting in the meeting in the chair opposite the desk, pressed against the window was a younger man than the chief. His hair was short and black with slight signs of grey running along its sides making his hair look more of a salt and pepper look than straight black. His face had light stubble growing from it. He wore black slacks with a brown belt around his waist and black boots. A dark grey dress shirt was buttoned up to the second last button with a red…no…auburn tie. Normally it would be a hard color to mix, but he pulled it off. Well done. An abused pack of cigarettes rested in his shirt's breast pocket and he had his black jacket resting over the chair's arm. He had his legs crossed. At the knock, he looked at his watch; he had expected to be uninterrupted for the next hour or so.

The police chief leaned back in his chair as he looked through the glass at the man at the door. He had specifically requested not to be disturbed. The larger man, black dress shirt, black belt, and grey slacks sighed and apologized to the man sitting in his office. He indicated that he was busy and extended his arm to tell the person he was still in the middle of his meeting. But the man swallowed, nodded, and knocked again. The chief sighed and leaned forward in his chair, arms on his desk now, lacing his fingers before motioning for the man to enter. He was a little angry. He had asked specifically not to be bothered and here he was.

The man opened the door slowly and took a step inside, closing the door behind him; the blind rattling against the glass on connection. The man stepped into the room, practically between the two people…undoubtedly between the two people with the most pull in in the police force in the whole city. He bowed his head, clenching his fists tightly to stop his hands from shaking. The chief spoke first

"I asked specifically not to be bothered"

The man nodded his head, not speaking yet

"So, I hope that whatever it is is worth the interruption between detective Dojima and I"

The man nodded again

Ryotaro Dojima leaned forward in his seat, checking his watch again. He hoped it wouldn't take too much time. He was twenty three minutes behind schedule as it was. He spoke out, wanting to move the situation along.

"What is it, son?"

The man cleared his throat before speaking to no one in particular

"Two bodies have been found three blocks from Junes…Sir. Two men. Middle aged.

There are stories of a place in Minnesota; a quiet room. The room is said to be 99.99% soundproof and holds a world record for its achievement. The most quiet room in the world. People have said that when in the room alone, they can hear their blood pumping through their veins. One man has even claimed that he could hear and feel his hair grow inside this room. Whatever feelings one would experience in that room, this room was worse in the almost eighteen seconds of silence that followed suit before anyone said or did anything. It was an almost magical moment those eighteen seconds of panic and internal chaos. There was no clearing of throats, no scratching or anyone shifting in their own cloths. Pure…beautiful…chaos.

It was the chief that made the first move, leaning back in his chair causing it to squeak. The sound snapped the two other men out of their stupors as well and Dojima looked down to his watch, pulling his sleeve over it. There went any plans he may have had and time was no longer relevant. The chief looked slowly over to his associate.

"Two?"

The young officer nodded his head.

"Two"

The chief glanced over at Dojima.

"Two"

Dojima slowly stood from his seat with a sigh and rubbed his hands along his face before grabbing his jacket and throwing it over his shoulder.

He approached the young police officer and plastered a smile on his face.

"Thank you for the information, Son. Did you write down the address? The caller? Anything?"

The young officer nodded his head, just thankful he wasn't in trouble. To the three of them, the meeting which had been a priority a second ago, was so far away from importance, they couldn't see it if they tried.

"Name, address, contact information, and location, Sir"

Dojima's plastered smile was replaced with a sincere one. Good. At least this one had competence. He patted the man on the shoulder and was just about to leave the office when the chief called out to him.

"Dojima."

He stopped, but didn't turn around, just listening, already working out factors of the case in his head. And he hoped that no one he knew, even though he knew everyone, had lost their lives.

"Bring the boy if he's still here"

"Don't worry, Sir. He's here"

Detective Naoto Shirogane tossed her ballpoint black pen into the trash bin beside her before reaching for another one from her desk drawer. Her fingers ached, but she wasn't done yet. She reached up with her free hand to adjust the headset she wore. Closing her eyes tightly, she focused on the sounds that came through the headset, writing down everything she heard on the sheets of paper in front of her. It was hard to focus on the background noise with so many people talking. Her office door was closed and the blinds down. She didn't want to be bothered when on a case. Someone had been stealing computer products from Junes ranking up quickly in price enough to get the police involved. Video tapes had turned up nothing. Every time she watched the security footage, the culprit was just out of eye shot of the cameras. She had deduced that it was someone working at the store that knew where the cameras were and knew how to move in their blind spots. Video had nothing. But perhaps she could hear something. The only people she knew at the store was Hanamura-san and Teddie. And they just…weren't that clever.

She bit down on her bottom lip in strain, trying to focus. The crowd was hard to cut out even for the techs. In a small place like Inaba, the mall was really all they had. And Junes only kept getting bigger. She heard a click and wrote it down. Metal? Shoes on the tile of the floor? A piece of jewelry? She wrote down her theories as she listened. Then the sound cut out entirely. She strained her ears for sound. Nothing. Her eyes opened and she let out a small yelp as she saw Dojima standing there, finger on the stop button of her recorder.

"D-Dojima-san"

Feeling a little embarrassed, she glared at him, taking her headset off and shaking out her hair which came down to her cheeks along the sides of her head and was pulled back in a ponytail behind her head with a tight band which perhaps was a little too tight and pulled her face back slightly.

"Making any progress, Detective?"

"I think I am Dojima-san. But I fear I will have to do some field work now. I keep hearing repetitious clicking noises but I cannot tell what they are. No doubt this will require me to investigate the more common workers of Junes to see what articles of clothing and accessories they wear."

Dojima closed the door to her office, sitting on the edge of her desk. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he looked at her. She felt a little uneasy.

"What is it, Dojima-san?"

"We have to go for a drive"

A moment of panic washed over her and she forced it back to stop her body from shuddering. Dojima was never this calm.

"What happened?"

A small smile creased his face. She was good.

The story of Naoto being a woman had not yet run by the police department as of yet. Dojima had found out from his nephew and his daughter Nanako. And he, being an honest man, promised to not let it slip out and decided it would be best if the police department found out when Naoto was ready to tell them herself. It had been awkward at first, but after this long, he was more than fine with it. In truth, Naoto was one of the few people he could talk to in the police department. She knew things before he even had to say them. And they worked very well together, although they did have their problems from time to time. Naoto was by the book in everything she did, whereas he was a little unorthodox. But they did work well.

Dojima sighed with the smile and let it fade away, standing back up, grabbing for his cigarettes. He tipped the pack back against his mouth and let one slid between his lips. He looked down the pack. Two left. Damn. He would have to make them count. Last pack. He promised last pack. But he also promised that the last pack was the last pack. And the pack before that pack was the last pack. Last pack. You promised.

No smoking was allowed in the building, but they were heading off. He chewed on the filter thoughtfully, reaching into his pocket to grab his lighter, gripping it tightly in his hand.

"Two bodies found three blocks from Junes."

Naoto felt her blood run cold and a wave of panic swept through her body.

"The guy who answered the call wrote down the specifics. I sent two patrols down there already to keep the public back. But we will need to move quickly for you to get some data before dark."

Naoto looked at the clock on her computer. It had fallen asleep and she tapped the mouse to wake it up. 2pm. The days were getting shorter. At this rate, if she was there now, she would only be able to investigate for about two hours. She stood up, pushing her chair back and pulling her hat down, which rested on her desk just within reach, onto her head, turning it to its right spot and tucking her ponytail up under it. She opened the drawer of her desk and pulled out several new pens and her small red notebook. She would have to get a new one soon. This one was almost out of pages. She moved past her partner and slid the book and pens into her jacket, pulling it off its coat rack and throwing it over her shoulders. She was ready.

Dojima pulled his lighter from his pocket the moment they walked from the doors of the station and lit up his cigarette as they walked towards his car. Naoto moved to the passenger side and stood there, waiting to be let in. Dojima unlocked the door to his side and leaned over to unlock her door. As she sat down, she pulled out her notepad and one of her new pens, already opening a new case file within the pages.

Dojima gave her the details as they drove to the scene, which she wrote down. Two men. Middle aged. One found hanging from a satellite dish, and other hanging from the man. Naoto made sure to write down the little details. She would have to involve Teddie, if she could find him, to see if he had felt anything in the other world. If she was going to solve this quickly before any more deaths occurred, she would have to re-use data from the old case. She was a bit frustrated as she considered that maybe Teddie hadn't been in the other world when the victims had been there. She scribbled down and underlined "no fog" in her book. A key factor in the old case.

There had also been no news of the midnight channel. No one had showed up on it, nor had there even been a notion it was still working. So many assumptions, keys to that case and possibly this one too was wasted and useless knowledge. She wondered if the others had heard. News, she now understood, traveled fast in a small town like this. This of course was all assuming that these had anything to do with the midnight channel or that other world in the first place. She knew that it was a terrible thing to assume, but at the same time, she knew to leave the assumptions open.

There were things from the first case she would need to keep an eye on to prevent further death. Not wanting a repeat of last time, she knew she needed to get her hands on the one who found the bodies first to ensure her safety. But…Adachi…

She bit her lip in frustration. She hadn't even been to the crime scene yet and already she was making assumptions and baseless theories. She needed to calm down. This most likely had nothing to do with the other world. There had been a copycat previously. Perhaps this…she was doing it again and bit harder. She cleared her head of the fog and looked down at her pad, her eyes now coming onto focus. She had made a mess of notes which were all pretty much useless unless she could stick to some of the claims. She was more frustrated now and put the pad back into her pocket with her pen, just sitting quietly, looking out the window.

Dojima could feel the atmosphere grow thick as she became more and more frustrated with herself and the case that hadn't even started yet. He assumed that somewhere inside her she also felt a little frustrated that some detective with a double digit IQ would no doubt take over her previous case. And get it wrong no less. But he kept quiet till they arrived at the scene, glancing over only slight every so often when he would blow smoke out the window to look into her notebook. Messy writing.

When they arrived on the scene, a small crowd had already begun to gather. He dropped the butt of his cigarette onto the ground and twisted it under his boot before drawing another from his pack and slipping it behind his ear for later. He turned the pack upside down as he put it back, refusing to let his, possibly, last smoke fall out and rob him of the moment they would spend together. He loved smoking. But he also wanted to dance with Nanako at her wedding.

As Dojima pushed his way through the crowd, Naoto coming quickly from behind, he tried to get a look past the police taped off area. Four police officers kept back the crowd while the other three officers were on the roof of the small house. No doubt the chief sent more officers. This was a too many people for two patrols. He hoped none of them would destroy any evidence. At least it wasn't raining. Aside from the bodies hanging from it, it was a nice dish. Nanako would probably love the cartoons she could get off of it. If she even watched cartoons anymore. He sighed internally. He would have to call home to tell her not to wait for him.

"Detective-"

"I understand Dojima-san"

She pushed past him and ducked under the tape, turning only slightly as she moved.

"Make your call"

Dojima pushed his way back through the crowd, trying to find a quiet spot before pulling out his cell phone. It rang twice before he heard her pick up. The sweet voice on the other side of the line always made him smile. And ache.

"Hello? Dojima residence"

"Hey sweetheart"

"Hi dad!"

It killed him when he did this. He would rather take the cigarette than the disappointment of letting his daughter down. But he took a deep breath and tried to sound as apologetic as he could. It never got any easier.

Detective Shirogane climbed the ladder resting against the side of the house. As she stood up, she looked over the edge at the people on the street. She called to one of the officers.

"Get these people out of here. This is a crime scene. Not the movie theater"

The officer waved in acknowledgement and with his fellow officers tried to get the people to move along.

She worked her way along the steep roof, keeping crouched slightly to lower her center of gravity and not slip as she moved.

"Afternoon detective"

"Good afternoon, gentlemen"

After solving the first case, the police department had become much more…friendly…than before. And the people that worked there, regardless of her age, had begun to accept her. Or rather, him. It had taken some time, but she was now one of the preverbal "guys."

As she approached the two men, hanging off one another, then took note of their cloths. One dressed in a three piece suit. It looked expensive. When they were finally on the ground, she would be able to get a better look at the designer. Maybe back trace their identity if they did not have ID on them. Though she doubted a man dressed in that fashion did not have a wallet on him. The other man was dressed in dark black jeans and converse shoes. He wore a red hoddie and hung off the man in the suit off the clip in his belt; hanging over him upside down like a tilting stack of people.

For a moment, she wondered if there would be any damage to the satellite dish. They probably should have gotten them off it before the metal gave way.

She moved around to the other side of the roof to get a look at the men's faces. They were stoic. Relaxed even. No signs of struggle on the neck or faces of either of them. But then a realization hit her and she was surprised it wasn't the first thing that came to mind. They were Caucasian. She hadn't seen them before. This was a small town. She knew practically everyone. Who were these men?

At the sound of the squeal of metal, she stumbled backwards, falling down onto the rooftop, landing on her backside as the satellite dish gave way with the weight of the bodies that now fell from the dish. She tried to catch one, but she was too slow. The man in the hoodie fell onto the roof and slid to a stop on the slant. But the man in the suit rolled over the man in the hoodie, slid off the roof, and landed with a thud on the ground. There were a few screams from the onlookers.

"I said get them out of here"

"You heard him! Get these people out of here!"

Dojima pushed his way through the crowd and ducked under the tape. He approached one of the police officers.

"What do you think you are doing? Get that body covered up"

The officer saluted and rushed off in the wrong direction to get one of the sheets out of the ambulance that had pulled up a few minutes before. So instead Dojima moved for it, calling for one of the drivers for a sheet. They tossed him one from the back of the vehicle and he caught it mid stride towards the body. Naoto stood at the edge of the roof, looking down at the body. She chewed the inside of her bottom lip. What data had been destroyed in the fall?

As dojima reached down to put the sheet over the body, he looked at the man's face, giving pause. He caught on as well. Caucasian. And foreign. He looked to Naoto as he stood up, taking in the man's body a little more.

"Any idea who this is, Detective?"

"I haven't the faintest idea, Dojima-san"

Case 463: -521 hours


	3. Chapter 3

Case 463: -520 hours

The body of the man in the red hoodie was slowly brought down from the roof by two of the police officers on the scene. Naoto had, minutes before, joined Detective Dojima on the ground. The red hooded man was laid down alongside the man in the suit with care by the two officers from the roof. By this time, Naoto already had her pad out, scribbling down notes and flipping pages for the two different men. Cloths, visible jewelry, markings on face and hands, estimated height, estimated weight, and hair color just to name a few.

When she had written down what she needed visually, she reached her hand back to Detective Dojima with her pad and pen. He took them from the detective and waited as she pulled her jacket off and handed it back to him. He took the jacket from her as well but she held her hand back this time rather than draw it back. He reached onto the clip on his belt, popped the little white plastic container open and pulled out a set of disposable rubber gloves, handing them to her. They were like clockwork the two of them.

It always bothered Dojima a little bit when they worked together. Naoto was a brilliant mind who saw and knew things that would have taken him vastly longer to see or understand or, sometimes, comprehend. He sometimes, like now, felt like he wasn't even necessary for the detective. As if he was the assistant and she the ace between the two of them. But she was good at what she did and always got the job done. He, for now, he would be her little assistant.

She snapped on her gloves and pulled the fingers of the gloves down several times to ensure they were secure and tight, clenching and unclenching her hands a few times before approaching the bodies. Dojima opened the notebook to one of the last few pages, drawing an underline below her messy notes to make his own. He noted the words "no fog" on the pages previous. She had the same notion he did. That bothered him. The first time something like this happened it had been hell. He didn't want a repeat of what happened last time to show itself. He hoped this was just a murder. And what an awful thing it was to hope...

She approached the man in the suit first from the outside, away from the man in the hoodie. She crouched down onto her knees and wrapped her slender fingers around the man's right wrist, raising his hand up to look at it. No scratch marks. Fingernails were clean too. They had been recently seen a manicure. They had been picked clean. No doubt a habit of the man to keep his nails clean. She looked at his wrist to find no signs of binding. He had no ring on his fingers or watch. She glanced over at the other one. A Rolex. She would get to it in a moment. She turned his hand over to look at his palm. Clean hands, the trace amounts of dirt on them from the ground around them. She cleared her throat and reached out, raising the other hand.

The same for the most part with clean, manicured nails. He had a gold band around his ring finger. She pulled it off with a bit of effort and turned it in her fingers to look on the inside. Worn on both ends. Happily married. She felt a little guilty now knowing she would have to report to the wife of the man's demise. She slipped the ring back onto his finger before moving for the watch to look at its design.

Lovely model when she thought of it. She always wanted one of these expensive toys but she could never afford one on a detective's salary. Even as a Shirogane. She checked the buttons. Stiff. Never really pressed down on. She checked the time against her own watch, extending her right arm out to pull back to sleeve before looking at her sleek black watch. It was wrong. It was in fact five hours wrong.

Five hours… five hours behind. That would put him in…Russia. Or Europe somewhere perhaps. Kazakhstan? Probably not. Not like this.

She moved for the man's face now, looking along his neck for bruising. Nothing. She pulled back the eyelid of his right eye. Brown. She opened his mouth to look inside. He had a lot of fillings, white spots jumping out where he had had a cavity before. He liked sweets. Europe was looking good. She checked the hem of his jacket and underneath the rim pulling back nothing on her glove. There was plenty of information, but very little data. She ran her hands along the man's legs, trying for a wallet but found a cellphone in his right pocket. A white blackberry.

The screen of the device was cracked and was dead as well, the little battery icon popping up when she held down the power button. The phone died anywhere from 1 minute to eighteen hours ago pending the man's knowledge of the device. A good window of time to find out about the man's whereabouts. She set the phone down on the man's stomach.

Reaching her hand into the man's breast pocket, she smiled feeling the slick leather of a wallet. Bingo. She pulled the wallet from its pouch and cracked it, skimming through the contents quickly. Credit cards, money, ID. This wasn't a robbery. This was direct. Otherwise they would have taken his wallet. She pulled the man's ID from the wallet, reading the name out loud.

"Miles McDermott."

American.

The watch wasn't five hours behind. It was seventeen hours behind. Smack dab in the middle of the USA. Phoenix. She glanced down at the man. He was a long way from home. She folded the wallet back up, setting it on his stomach as well.

"Dojima-san"

"Go ahead"

"He's happily married. No signs of struggle on his upper…"

She leaned down towards his legs, lifting one leg of his slacks and then the other. Clean.

"…or lower body. He has money. Likes to show off with it. His nails are clean. Professionally manicured. And the fillings in his mouth are white fillings. Expensive. He has a Rolex watch on his left wrist, a gold ring on his left hand, a new blackberry phone most likely cracked in the fall and…"

She opened his wallet again to look through the bills, counting out loud as she thumbed through the bills.

"…20, 40, 60… 140…almost two hundred dollars in his wallet and three credit cards. Robbery is out. This was targeted."

She looked at the man's face. Why kill a rich man and not take his nice things?

"He's American. Phoenix Arrizona. He's 42 years old."

Dojima felt himself freeze up at the last part. American. What was he doing here? He made a note to himself to check the man's passport if he could find it. Perhaps they could find out where he was staying in Inaba. Did he have any friends? Or family? They would have to back check the man's identification to see when he had arrived in the country. Perhaps he was staying at the Amagi Inn. Most tourists did if they didn't know someone in town. The press release was going to be horrible. At the same time, as bad a thought as it was, he was hoping pictures of the two would spark some sort of identification for these men. Deeper insight to why they were there.

Naoto stood from the first body and moved to the other, looking over the man's features. She started at his head, checking around the hood before lifting the head up and pulling it back under the man's neck. His eyes were open slightly and she closed them, not one too comfortable or even familiar with seeing into the eyes of a dead man. No signs around the neck or wrists with this one either. She opened the man's mouth. Silver and white fillings mix. She closed his mouth again and performed the same examination with the man's fingers. They were a variety of sizes this time. He cut them himself at different intervals. How careless. Sloppy even. No markings on the wrists or hands. Clean. They were both clean, but this one had no jewelry of any kind. She reached into his front pocket, pulling out his cellphone. Samsung. She held down the side power button on the model in its American flag hard shell. It too was dead, the red depleted battery symbol flashing a few times before disappearing. She sighed. Both phones were dead. Samsung phones lasted longer than blackberries which unfortunately opened the window in which this man died. She would have to wait for someone from CSI to arrive to check liver temperature. But from what she knew so far, these men died recently. Probably that day.

She looked up at the roof. How had no one seen the bodies? In the previous case, the bodies didn't show up until the morning of the night prior. No way would no one have noticed the cadavers until this late in the day. That bothered her. It either meant that the bodies had been hanging there all morning and most of the afternoon…or worse that they had only showed up recently. She reached around the back of the man's jeans finding his wallet, pulling the thin black leather piece from his jeans. She cracked it. No cash. Only debit and credit cards. Robbery was a possibility. But she doubted it. She found the ID.

Nathan McDermott. Phoenix Arizona. Nineteen years old.

One year older than she was. She let loose a heavy sigh and looked over to the other body.

"This one is his son"

Dojima felt a small drop in his chest. Not only was the mother going to hear she lost her son, but her husband as well. He knew that feeling all too well when it came to losing someone he cared for. He couldn't imagine what the woman was going to feel like.

"Nathan McDermott. Nineteen. Same as his father: No marks or bruising or signs of struggle."

She stood up, straightening her back out as she looked down at the men. This was all wrong. It didn't match the previous case. But she was almost certain that the other world was involved. But that assumption, though feeling right, was still dangerous if she started to use facts to justify her claim rather than use facts to work up a claim. She needed to stick with the evidence. She slowly peeled back her gloves, tucking them into her back pocket of her slacks. She would need to work out some smaller, possibly greater, details for herself. Away from Dojima. She had to make some phone calls.

Dojima handed her jacket to the detective as she walked back and she slipped it around her shoulders before taking her notebook and pen from him, looking over his notes. There was very little to work with. Then again, the previous case did too. The other world… -she was doing it again. Assuming before having evidence. She bit her lower lip and slid her little book into her breast pocket before turning her eyes to her superior and partner.

He knew that look and nodded his head slowly. She already had ideas and needed to follow up on them. He would wait here for forensics to get there.

"I'll put a copy of the report on the desk by morning"

'Thank you Dojima-san. If you will excuse me, I have to get to work"

"Naoto"

Having started to walk away, she turned half way to look at him.

"Keep me in the loop this time, alright?"

Inside she felt a small smile forming. But she couldn't. IF and only IF her suspicious were correct, she couldn't keep him in the loop if she wanted too. Too many things he wouldn't understand or even believe. But she nodded anyway with her stern look, not knowing for sure if he believed her or not. But it really didn't matter. Not yet anyway.

"Call the woman who found them. Get a statement from her"

Dojima formed a small smirk on his face being almost given an order from his partner

"I'll get right on it, Sir"

She smiled at him as she turned back around, the smile instantly leaving her face as she walked away, reaching into her pocket for the notebook, beginning to write down her assessment of the crime scene.

Luckily for her, her destination was only three blocks away. But those three blocks she needed to travel seemed like an eternity as she walked, her mind flipping through the data of the old case and tossing away the information that was essential to that one and useless in this one. What a bother. Almost nothing necessary or ground breaking remained. No fog, no midnight channel; possibly; nothing out of the ordinary. But…she was certain that the other world was involved. It couldn't have been a coincidence. No stab wounds, or gunshot wounds or discoloration to suggest poisoning or any evidence to suggest a more common place foul play. She bit her lower lip as she wrote down notes and scratched out that which was irrelevant.

She let her legs carry her where they would, almost bumping into telephone poles and garbage and mail boxes towards her destination. She was too focused on her work to care what she bumped into. Too much was wrong about this case. And as much as she wanted to, she couldn't push the assumption that this was another murder like the one two years ago. It pained her to make the assumption, but there was too much coincidence for it to be anything else.

Was this how it was to be for the rest of her life? That every time someone had the powers her and her friends wanted to kill someone to just throw them into the TV and have them end up in Inaba? That was a puzzling thought. Were all TVs linked to Inaba? Were there just going to be bodies after bodies through the rest of time that would show up on telephone poles, rooftops, TV antennas, or even a flag pole generation after generation long after she had retir-

"Ding"

The sound almost made Naoto jump out of her skin as the wall in front of her moved out of her way, parting, and a warm breeze of air washed over her face and chest. She looked around quickly, having forgotten what she was doing. The automatic doors she had walked in front of began to close again and she took a large step forward to not get squished between them. The music was what really snapped her back into reality and cleared her mind to focus on the here and now. That familiar jingle unconsciously made her inner voice sing to its chimes. Amazing. Once the realization panic had set in, she had walked the three blocks in almost an instant. She wondered if anyone had been driving along and had to stop to let her pass. She would have had to have crossed at least seven roads in that three blocks to get here. That had been very stupid for her to do. She could have been killed.

The music picked up inside her head again as she turned to walk towards the two large elevator doors, the button beneath her hand clicking as she pressed the button which lit up on her touch with a "bing." After a quick look around, she pressed her lips together, humming quietly.

Every day's great at your Junes

Case 463: -518 hours


	4. Chapter 4

Case 463: -185 hours

David Marlow stood quietly at the end of the street corner, cigarette hanging from his mouth, his hands buried in the pockets of his coat. He checked his watch. 11:45. He should have been at home sleeping. He had a plane to catch in the morning. He took a long puff off his cigarette and tapped the residual ash off it, watching as the small licks of light blew away in the wind. He made a mental note to grab another pack from a gas station or something before he went home to his apartment.

He leaned against one of the street lamps and pulled his collar up. He hated waiting, but he had specific orders. His eyes watched the bar across the street labeled "High Red" as men and women of different social ladders strolled from it, both only those majorly from the middle and upper class. He knew the man inside had a taste for class. As cold as it was, he had to wait for the house lights to turn up, an indication that it was empty for him to make his move.

After a few minutes and the last few stragglers made their way from the bar, the lights on the inside of the building turned on. He took a long, long drag off his cigarette and dropped it to the floor, twisting it beneath his shoe before crossing the street.

The High Red was a lounge for those with a little more money to throw around than others, a large black building on the outside with its name in large white and red fluorescent lights along the front. Two large glass doors with red carpets were at the entrance to greet him. It had been marked as a place of overpriced drinks and mediocre entertainment. Still. The location was not his decision.

A man in his late thirties stood at the door with a thick leather black jacket on. He wore sunglasses at midnight. A typical bouncer with a double digit IQ and a triple digit income. David stopped in place when the man held his hand out to stop him.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but we're closed for the evening. Why not come back tomorrow?"

David eyed the man up and down, taking into account his cheap Wal-Mart shoes, blue jeans and t-shirt under his jacket reading "High Red" on the right hand side. The man wore gloves. His hands must get cold easy. The balding blond man had two piercings on his right eyebrow and three on his left ear that ran along the rim. He looked as stupid as he sounded. But David, in his black sweater, brown leather jacket, black jeans and yellow and blue striped tie was not about to be stopped by this idiot. The packages in his pockets weighed a little heavier with the concept of being denied entrance.

"I'm not here for a drink. I want to talk to the man inside"

"I'm sure you do, Sir, but I'm afraid you will have to come back tomorrow"

"Not that man"

The bouncer gave pause for a moment, taking the man's face into consideration, looking over his stern look and his business like attire before taking a step to the side and holding the door open for him.

"He's on the piano"

Why had David expected him any other place?

As he took his first few steps into the lounge he was greeted by several of the employees with puzzled looks on their faces as to why he was inside the building. He ignored most of them. He had never really been inside this particular bar, but if any place was to be from the 1940's, this was it. It did have class about it with its glass tables and leather stools. Everything was clean and shiny, demanding attention and praise. A bar dressed to impress. But even with all its fanciness and chandeliers and its black marble dance floor, all David saw was a place to buy and consume alcohol. But then his ears caught the music in the air, the keys of the piano cutting through the silence of the bar, interrupted only by the woman behind the bar cleaning glasses.

He made his way towards the noise in a separate section of the bar behind the dance floor, spotting the black haired man sitting behind the piano, playing in a calming manner and singing quietly. The song had just started, and as David approached, his pace slowed to a stop to listen. He could have used a drink when he thought about it. He would wait for the song to be over first before he interrupted the man.

He moved to the bar, smiling at the girl behind it. She was clearly under the same ideas of not serving a patron after hours as the bouncer outside. But she seemed a little more willing when he opened his wallet and placed a fifty on the table.

"I'm with him"

He indicated the man behind the piano and the woman took one of the glasses off the stack

"Scotch on the rocks"

She poured him the drink after placing two ice cubes in his glass. She took the fifty happily and returned several bills in return. He put on a fake smile and left one on the counter once he had taken his drink, swirling it before taking a sip. It was ok.

Making his way back over to the piano, rather than interrupting the man, a mistake he was sure he would regret if he did, he sat on one of the leather stools as an audience member and watched the man.

He was too young to be in a place like this. Early 20's if that. He wore a black dress shirt and blazer buttoned up with a black silk tie hanging from his neck, a small gold chain pinned through the tie. His black slacks fit him comfortably to his 5'8-5'10 athletic build. On of his boots pressed down on one of the pedals beneath the instrument and his lips parted as he began to sing his song in a soft and respectable voice.

"She wore blue Velvet"

His fingers slowly danced along the keys as he sang, his eyes closed, singing to himself rather than to anyone else. David knew the song, but kept quiet rather than joining in or even humming to it.

"Bluer than velvet was the night"

He took a sip of his drink, careful not to make such a loud clink on the glass table as he set his drink down, tracing his thumb along the glass. He noticed the bottle of wine on the piano with the wine glass half empty beside it. They served him alcohol? That was illegal wasn't it?

"Softer than satin was the light from the stars"

It was illegal to serve a minor alcohol. How much had he consumed? David tried to see into the bottle with the light behind it. It was either empty or just past full. But his glass was half full... He had drunk the whole bottle.

"She wore blue velvet; bluer than velvet were her eyes"

Was he drunk? That seemed rather unprofessional for a Detective. Did anyone else know he was there? What about the case he was on?

"Warmer than May her tender sighs; love was ours"

This wasn't really turning out to be the meeting he had had in mind. A drunken detective under aged in a bar. Fucking fantastic. He took another hit off his drink, taking a larger gulp this time.

When the song was over, before David could stand up, the young man at the piano spoke first as he reached for his drink.

"Mr. Marlow I presume"

David stayed seated. The young man had been expecting him. The boy took a long sip off his wine and set the glass back down before placing his fingers back onto the keys, playing another song from the beginning, but not singing this time.

"I would like to thank you for not interrupting my performance as you entered. I understand presumably that you are a very busy man. I would hate to waste your time."

David stood up finally with his drink and made his way over to the piano, getting a good look at the fare skinned young man at the piano.

"Detective Chastity?"

The boy played his song a little faster now, speeding up the tempo.

"Please, Mr. Marlow. For the moment, let's pretend we're friends. Call me Sebastian"

David eyed the man, then the wine bottle. It was empty. He had gone through the whole thing. Sebastian followed the man's eyes with his own green eyes.

"Let's also not pretend that you really care if I'm drinking. And no. I'm not drunk."

He began to strike the keys of the piano with a little more force than necessary

"While most people are ending their evening at this time, I am only beginning mine"

"Weren't you on a case this morning?"

"Finished"

"When?"

"About six hours ago"

"Our case?"

"Your employer's case. _WE_ have no business together"

"I work for him"

"And that means what exactly?"

"He wants results"

"Three squads were dispatched about thirty minutes ago to pick up our perpetrators. I expect them to have at least seven years each. Less they turn on one another. Expect that"

Sebastian stopped playing

"What do you want, Mr. Marlow? I would rather my whole evening not be taken up by this little transaction of ours"

David was a little hesitant now. His boss had told him that this boy was volatile when the right buttons were pushed. And he had a feeling that he was pushing all the buttons he needed to push. So rather than see what this boy could do, he cleared his throat and reached his hand into his left pocket, pulling a small envelope from it and setting it on the piano. Sebastian eyed the letter and placed his fingers back onto the keys, continuing his song, slower now.

"What's that?"

"A bonus. He already knew you had solved the case."

"I know. Tell him too keep the delivery boys out of my office next time."

"You knew?"

"There is very little that escapes my attention Mr. Marlow. Anything else?"

David reached into his other pocket, pulling a small clear bottle carrying a yellow liquid inside, setting it on the piano. Sebastian stopped playing, looking at the bottle as a small smile spread across his face. He picked it up, turning it over to look at the label. He pulled the top from it and dipped his pinky finger into it before drawing it to his lips. It was delicious.

"Oh this is special. Please give him my thanks"

"He had that imported directly from Italy"

"He has good taste."

David let out a small sigh of relief. His employer had told him to make sure he had received the bottle above all else. But in all honesty, he was just happy to have it out of his pocket.

Sebastian set the bottle back onto the top of the piano. Olive oil. Superb. He couldn't wait to have some of it with breakfast in a few hours. This was turning out to be quite the nice evening. Wine, a job completed, a bonus, and now olive oil. He loved eating. He loved cooking. Quality and freshness made all the difference. And you couldn't get more fresh than this.

"If your employer needs anything else done, please give him my number. My cell is always on"

David nodded his head, tilting his head back to drink the last of his scotch, the ice cubes rattling around in his glass with the tilt as he set it down on the piano.

"If our business if concluded Detective Chastity, I will be on my way"

Sebastian stood up to shake the man's hand firmly

"Have a good morning Mr. Marlow"

"You too, Detective"

David shook the young man's hand in return; a little surprised his grip was so firm. He smiled and took his leave, so happy he could just go home and sleep now. But as he moved to leave, a thought struck him just out of curiosity and he turned to face the detective again.

"Why is no one is bothering you? This bar is closed isn't it?"

Sebastian smiled a little as he slid the index finger of his right hand across of the higher keys at the end of the piano, his body rocking with his own tempo.

"I did some work for the owner a few months ago. Since then he lets me play until they lock up for the night. So I have about two hours to myself from the time the last patron leaves to the time the last employee leaves. A fair business arrangement if you ask me."

"And the alcohol to a minor?"

Sebastian's smile grew a little wider

"As long as I pay them, no one ever cards me"

He played with only his right hand as he grabbed for his drink again, sipping at the remaining amount of his drink before he returned to playing.

"Good evening "

Taking that as a polite 'Fuck off," David took several steps back from his spot before turning around to leave the bar. He was going to sleep well tonight. As he left he waved to the girl behind the bar who smiled as she left her place behind the bar to go and get the glass he had left on the piano as well as to collect the boys drink as well. He pulled his collar up and crossed his coat over his chest, zipping it up as the wind picked up. Tonight was going to suck, but at least he was done with work and could go home and get about four hours of sleep before his plane.

The blond girl tried to make a quiet approach to the boy, even though heels on marble was hard to dampen the noise of at this quiet a time in the night. Sebastian glanced up only quickly to look at her, smiling sweetly as she approached. She smiled back although he had looked back down at the keys before closing his eyes. She took the man's glass in one hand and Sebastian's in the other. She spoke quietly.

"So…do you have any plans later tonight?"

He smiled and opened his eyes again as he looked up to her

"I appreciate the offer, Carmen, but I'm too crazy for you"

She looked disappointed. A girl as pretty as her wasn't told 'no' often.

"Oh come on Seb. You've been coming here for weeks you have barely said one word to me. Maybe I like crazy. How about we get breakfast?"

He slowed his playing.

"I appreciate it, Carmen, I really do. A pretty girl like you knows what she wants. But you don't want me."

He returned to his playing.

"I come with a lot of baggage. I don't want to push it onto anyone."

"Not even breakfast?"

"Not even an exchange of numbers"

He winked at her. She smiled in return with a sigh.

"Well if you change your mind, my offer will still be open"

He nodded and looked back down at his keys, never stopping his sway as he changed songs, turning his head ever so slightly and cracking his eyes to watch her hips sway as she walked away. The growl in his head let lose a few quiet words.

"Shut up. Last thing I need is you inside my head while I'm trying to have sex."

It growled but quickly grew silent.

At about 1:37am, the bouncer had decided to leave his post to go home, saying a quick few goodbyes to the employees and the man at the piano. He had been working there three weeks and no one would tell him the boy's name. Sebastian had considered him temporary help with the establishment and therefore didn't want to form a connection with the man in any way. That, and the growl didn't like him. That was good enough a reason as any for the detective. But he was still friendly to him and gave him a small wave as he left to go home which left the detective and Carmen alone.

Carmen, by order from the owner, had to clear up, clean up, and be done by 2am once the cleaners had left. They were on the second floor finishing their vacuuming of the nice red carpet. Sebastian often wondered how much filth would be pulled from it when they washed the carpet. How many different shades of black and brown would be dumped before clear would come up? Had they ever washed it? The notion that they never did sent a shiver through him which became harder and harder to suppress whenever he thought of it. Disgusting.

Sebastian let out a small yawn as he leaned back in his seat, adjusting his belt and shifting around the pouches containing his handcuffs, flashlight, and gun; a M9A1 pistol. Not particularly standard issue, but he preferred it, and with the right string pulled had barely managed to get it OK'd as his sidearm. Of which he was still appreciative. Above all, he preferred not to use it. But there had been times where it had been deemed necessary.

When the shattering of glass struck his ears, his heart rate sped up and the growl in his head began to get louder. His eyes traveled to Carmen who had dropped one of the thick glasses mostly used for soft drinks, causing the thick glass to shatter on the ground. Her eyes were stuck on the man in front of her, mouth slightly agape but no scream coming from her lips as she backed up and pressed herself up against the wall trying to get away from the man with nowhere really to go. The man in front of her was a little older than her, mid to late 20's. He wore a black hoodie and blue jeans with red sneakers. Sebastian had a slight moment of disappointment. Why wear red? Wasn't he trying to be inconspicuous?

Sebastian's fingers slid back from the keys as he watched the man with the knife demand the money in the register before he formed a plan and his heart sped up again, listening to the voice in his head but speaking to himself, quietly. Fourteen steps from his position to the bar, 1.2 to get around the piano. Brace hand on dance floor when shoes slip. He would need about 4 second distraction to get to the man. Slowly as Carmen opened the register to the yelling man, Sebastian pushed himself back in his seat, eyes on the man. He hadn't been seen. Had he not heard the piano? He spoke quietly to himself, glancing down to the little stool beside the piano used for the singers to get up and lie and sit on the piano in their dresses.

"What do you think? Bottle stool or stool bottle?"

When the voice replied he took a deep breath. Don't miss. Don't you dare miss.

His hand gripped the empty wine bottle on the piano and hurled it hard at the man, aiming for the center of his back. If he struck him in the head at that angle, he could likely kill the man. And he didn't want that. But as the bottle hurled through the air and Sebastian began his dash, he leaned down to grab the stool, throwing it as well through the air as he made his b-line for the man. Carmen, seeing the objects coming, ducked down behind the bar, covering her ears. The man screamed at her again but lost all air in his lungs as the thick bottle collided with his shoulder, shattering against the bone in his scrawny shoulder but he didn't falter even as the glass splashed across his upper body. Instead, he turned to his would be attacker and fell back against the bar as the stool collided with his chest. Sebastian had indeed faltered on the dance floor but caught himself on his hands as the stool hit the man.

One second left.

Sebastian pushed hard off his legs for an extra burst of speed and drove his fist deep into the man's stomach. The man dropped the knife, both his hands coming to his stomach, unable to breathe having been struck in the diaphragm. Sebastian's fist rose past the man's face on the way up, striking him on the tip of his jaw with his elbow, fracturing it but not breaking it. The man fell to his knees which had given way under the shock and finally dropped to the ground when the elbow that struck his jaw drove down on top of his head, sending him to the floor in dead weight, unconscious. The whole even had happened so fast that he never had a moment to react.

Sebastian grit his teeth and clenched and unclenched his fists. The voice in his head let out a small huff of disappointment. It had half hoped the man to put up a bigger fight. Sebastian on the other hand was glad it was over quickly. Knife on fist fights never ended well. He leaned down, opening the pouch on the side of his belt and handcuffed the man. As he stood back up, Carmen was just pulling herself up from behind the bar, looking over at the body of the man on the floor.

"Is he dead?"

"Afraid not. Just unconscious. And in for a long recovery I'm afraid."

Sebastian said the end of his sentence as he sat down at the bar.

"Can I use the bar's phone?"

Carmen, lost for words, pulled the dial telephone from out behind the bar. He was a little intrigued. All this fancy stuff and the owner couldn't swing for a better form of communication? He picked up the receiver and began to dial his number, looking to Carmen as he waited for it to ring.

"The man who was in here before with me, what did he drink?"

She stuttered as she tried to speak, the adrenaline still pumping strong in her body.

"S-s-scotch"

"I'll have one of those, please"

Carmen followed orders perfectly when she was up on adrenaline as she moved to make his drink with shaking hands. Maybe he would go home with her after all. As soon as the thought crossed his mind and the growl in his head seemed to laugh he pushed it aside, just waiting for the person on the other line to pick up. The voice was gruff on the other side from years of smoking.

"Hello?"

"Good evening Donald, it's detective Chastity. How did the arrests go?"

The man on the other end laughed for a few moments.

"You were right. They didn't make it half way through the trip back before they began to turn on one another. What can I do for you? I assume you need something"

"Good to hear it Captain. I need you to send an ambulance down to High Red. I have a man here, attempted robbery, with a fractured jaw, possible internal bleeding-"

Carmen put the drink in front of him and he smiled mouthing "Thank you." Her legs began to shake and she braced herself on the bar to keep from falling over.

"-and send a few men to the hospital. Once he wakes up it is imperative someone read him his rights. Understood?"

"I'll send one over right away, Detective. By the way, I was supposed to tell you that you have been put on a new assignment effective immediately"

Sebastian beckoned Carmen closer and he pulled the pen from her breast pocket, writing down the details on his napkin.

"Go ahead"

Sebastian listened to the case, squinting as he wrote down the note before pausing.

"You will have to forgive me captain, did you say Japan?"

He rolled his eyes and wrote down the name, location, handler, and travel arrangements.

"So in one week?"

He underlined his flight number.

"How many dead?"

A small smile stretched on his face as he wrote down the digit.

"Inform them I will be present. Who do we get in return?"

…..

"Will he be useful?"

…..

"Perfect. Thank you Captain"

He set the phone down on its receiver and went for his drink, drinking the scotch in one attempt. When the glass hit the bar, he bit down on his own tongue, letting out a small cough.

"Not a personal preference, Mr. Marlow"

He smiled at the shaking girl and slipped the pen back into her breast pocket.

"Have a good night Carmen. Might see you later this week."

As he stood from his seat to leave, she called out to him

"Hey! What am I supposed to do with him?"

"If he wakes up before the ambulance gets here, hit him in the face"

He pulled his wallet from his breast pocket, setting a one hundred dollar bill on the table.

"For the scotch and the bottle of wine. Keep the change. Get yourself something nice. I would also suggest taking tomorrow off. You could easily get off work due to stress with this."

He winked at her when she smiled before taking his leave, going for his car. He wanted to go home.

"Also fire the bouncer for not locking the door."

When the doors closed behind him, Carmen let out a loud sigh and dropped to her knees behind the bar, taking deep breaths trying to stop herself from shaking. But when she heard the doors a second time, she peered over the bar to see the young Detective walking back across the room towards the piano.

"Forgot my things"

Case 463: -182


	5. Chapter 5

Case 463: -470 hours

It had been two days since the two bodies had been found and Naoto was no closer to making progress than she had been on the first day. Trying to contact Teddie or Yosuke had been surprisingly difficult since their phones were off.

Upon arriving at Junes, Naoto had immediately gone to the manager of the store, Yosuke's father, to inquire as to where he was. Apparently they had both come to work on an earlier shift in order to get on with their weekend together and get as much time to play as they could before work again. She had left with no answers and it was a long way back to the station. She had tried calling several times but their cellphones had been off. Wonderful.

By the time she had made it back to the station, with Kojima still out in the field and her leads nowhere to be found for the next two days, she had decided to make her way home on her scooter. She had arrived home, had a shower, grabbed something to eat, and headed straight to bed.

But that was two days ago. Two days of nothing. Lab reports were taking too long, autopsy was taking it's time, CSI had pulled up nothing, and the woman who found them had just been jogging along when she found them. Nothing she could use. Just like two years ago. It bothered her, sent her stomach into a knot. She was sure she was going to lose sleep over this. Perhaps even develop a kidney stone or something as her body would gradually succumb to the stress.

Naoto sat quietly at her desk, slumped back in her chair using her legs to spin her from side to side on its axis as she stared at her black computer screen. She was bored. More so, she was on edge. The autopsy would hopefully pull something they could use. She prayed poisoning of the two men so that the other world could be ruled out. But when she truly considered her own feelings, it seemed unlikely.

Her eyes glanced from her computer screen to the picture lying face down on her desk and she felt herself instinctively bite down on the inside of her lower lip as she reached to turn it up. She smiled as she looked over the faces of her friends from the picture they took two years ago. Rise, Kanji, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Teddie, and…

She felt her stomach drop a bit when she looked over the young man's features. That smile of his which creased his face just perfectly. Her eyes skimmed along the silver strands of hair that she had wanted to touch for so long. The smell of the shampoo he used and his particular brand of deodorant. She ran her thumb along his face and down along the curvature of the side of his face and chin.

"Souji…"

She could feel her jaw beginning to hurt and only then did she realize her jaw was clenched tightly and longing was replayed with anger. She thought by now she would be over it. She pushed the photo back down and felt a shiver run through her body from the sting on her face. She reached up to brush it away. She was crying.

She shook her head to clear the fog and dried her eyes on the sleeve of her jacket as she pushed the photo back to its original place and sunk backwards into her chair again, pulling her hat down over her eyes and she returned to rotating in her chair. Never again. She wouldn't be burned again.

When the footsteps registered in her ears it was already too late to react as her office door opened. She lifted the rim of her hat up to see Dojima standing in the doorway. He went to speak but drew silent as he looked on her face, seeing the light shine from tears. And that look in her eyes…

"Are…are you OK?"

She wiped her hands along her cheeks to remove anything that may have been lingering on her pale skin

"Yea. I must have zoned out and my eyes dried up. I'm fine"

Dojima wasn't convinced but he didn't press it.

"CSI and our friend in the morgue want to talk with us. They got something"

Naoto didn't know she could get up that fast as she stood from her chair, her legs pushing it back allowing her to move freely as she followed Dojima down into the basement of the police station. On normal occasions she had found the purpose of a morgue to be rather useless in a town this small. But at other times, the rare times, she found it quite helpful. Everyone needs a place to store the dead.

As they entered the morgue, Naoto buttoned up her coat and Dojima put his on as well, zipping up the front and putting his hands in his pockets. The room had twelve freezers for the bodies, two of which were open with the bodies of both Miles and Nathan McDermott laying on them, a white sheet drawn up to the chest line barely covering up the stitches along the chest and reaching down below the sheet. Naoto still wasn't comfortable around the bodies. She was almost sure she never would be.

The two men that were already in the room both wore white lab coats. The man in his late 20's with glasses and a short black ponytail was from CSI whereas the older man with the frosted tipped spiked black hair was the coroner. They both greeted Dojima and Naoto with a small bow. Naoto looked at the two men, their skin now a light grey blue under the light of the room. She felt herself bite the tip of her tongue.

"Detectives."

The man with the ponytail smiled at them both.

"I'll let my associate here give you the details"

He indicated the coroner who handed Naoto and Dojima a clip board with his findings on them. Naoto flipped through the pages, skimming their contents. Her heart sank into her stomach.

"Inconclusive?"

The man shrugged and indicated the two of them.

"As far as I am concerned, there is nothing wrong with either of them. The father here smoked for at least twenty years but there is no significant damage to suggest that it had anything to do with his death. The son had a bit more alcohol in his blood than he needed but other than that, they both have a clean bill of health."

Dojima looked over the details of the autopsy.

"So you have nothing then?"

The man was a little hesitant in his findings but he looked certain

"The only thing I can come up with is a form of organ failure that I have never seen before; something that affects nothing to give an indication and has no symptoms. And unless we are dealing with a new breed of virus of bacteria, which I doubt, then yes. I have nothing."

Dojima tossed the clip board onto the little silver table between the two bodies and sighed, reaching up to massage the spot between his eyes. This was a shit show. Naoto continued to look over the results but no matter how many lines she read, everything turned up negative.

"Poison?"

"Not a chance. No cell deterioration of any kind. No signs of internal bleeding either in either of them. However, the strange thing is they both died at relatively the same time. Less than an hour apart most likely."

Naoto let the clip board fall from her eyes, resting at her side. Less than an hour apart…

"This is terrible news..."

It was the SCI's turn and he smiled a bit.

"Why do you look so happy?"

Dojima almost barked at him, his patience hanging by a thread at this point.

"Because you are going to love this"

Dojima scowled at the man and Naoto unclipped the report from the clip board and folded it up to add to her report.

The man walked over to the body of Miles, the father, and put his hand hovering over the man's face.

"Miles McDermott. American from Phoenix Arizona"

"We know that"

"But did you know that that's where he's supposed to be?"

Naoto was lost

"Excuse me?"

"I did some digging once I got his ID. Called up the airport who contacted officials in Phoenix. Mr. McDermott here never left Phoenix. He's not supposed to be here. Technically speaking, Mr. McDermott here is supposed to be at home right now getting ready for work in a few hours. His wife reported him missing yesterday."

Dojima took his second to last cigarette from behind his ear, slipping it into his mouth as he chewed the filter.

"That doesn't make any sense"

"I know, right?"

The man had a smile from ear to ear. This was a big joke to him.

"But it gets better. "

Naoto couldn't wait to hear this.

He moved his hand over the body of your younger man.

"Nathan McDermott works for his father. Apparently, they work in textiles together. His father runs the company and Nathan is in charge of quality control and deals with international clients for the company."

The man could barely contain himself, almost laughing as he spoke.

"Nathan here is supposed to be in Russia in his hotel room asleep right now."

The wall that Naoto and Dojima had just crashed into left damages their brains couldn't comprehend. This was all wrong. And even Naoto had to accept that this made even less sense than the previous case. The man put a hand hovering over both of the men's faces.

"Neither of these men, thousands and thousands of miles apart….oceans apart….are supposed to be here. According to passport information from both the Russian and American government offices, both of these men are supposed to be-not here. He is supposed to be in Phoenix Arizona and he is supposed to be in Moscow."

The man's smile slowly faded as he looked at the detective's faces and he cleared his throat.

"Now I don't know who is responsible for this or if this is some kind of big joke or whatever. I personally find it hilarious that this is a reality. On the other hand, this can't really be anything more than a joke. These men did not just fall out of the sky. So how did they get here?"

Naoto felt a bolt of electricity flow through her body at his words. She needed to talk to Teddie. She needed to talk to Teddie right now. She shivered and drew her arms closer together against her body, putting her clip board on the little silver table on top of Dojima's.

"I have to follow a lead, Dojima-san"

"Yea…ok… I'll come with you"

Naoto cleared her throat.

"If it is alright with you Dojima-san, I would prefer to do this on my own"

"I asked you to keep me in the loop"

"And I promise I will. As soon as I find anything"

Dojima was obviously not happy with that answer. He wanted to go with her. They were a team. Or at least he liked to think of them as a team. He needed a cigarette but he just stared at her, reading her facial expressions as they came and went, trying to decipher what she was thinking.

"You call me the moment you find something. Understand?"

"I will Dojima-san"

He sighed defeated

"I'm trusting you on this Naoto. Don't make me regret it"

She nodded her head and turned to leave, already regretting it herself.

As she stepped from the police station and pulled out her small cellphone and punched in the numbers she had punched in so many times before. It rang. The phone was back on.

"Pick up…pick up"

The phone rang twice, then three times, then four, then five. Then on what she knew was the final ring, the phone clicked and there was a sound of rustling before-

"Hellooooooooo?"

She breathed a sigh of relief. He had answered his phone.

"Teddie? This is Detective Shirogane"

"Hi Nao-chan!"

She couldn't help but let her small smile crease her face and she bit her lip trying to stop herself from smiling. It was hard not to smile around Teddie. It was what he was good at. And what was worse is he loved pointing out when he did it.

"I have already requested you stop calling me that Teddie. Yet you do it anyway"

"But you're smiling about it"

He got her despite her efforts

"I need your help Teddie"

"Nao-chan is coming to me for help? Sir Teddie is always willing to help a lady in distress"

"Could you add Yosuke to the call as well?"

"Sure thing"

There was a small beep and a click of numbers on Teddie's end before he yelled out

"Yosuke! Pick up your phone!"

She could just imagine him yelling in the middle of Junes disrupting the customers.

After a moment the phone clicked and Yosuke's voice came over the speaker.

"Stop yelling you idiot. I would have answered anyway"

"Hanamura-san"

"Is that you Naoto-kun?"

"Indeed. I need yours and Teddies help with a case I'm on"

"Oh…does it have anything to do with the bodies that were found?"

Naoto was a little surprised he knew, but remembered the word traveling quickly thing.

"It does. And I would be most appreciative if you could keep this quiet from everyone"

"These pretty lips are sealed Nao-chan"

"Sure thing Naoto. What do you need?"

"I need Teddie and you to go with me into in TV. I need to know if Teddie can smell anything on the other side. If he can smell if anyone has been there recently"

Youske choked on whatever he was drinking at the moment. It probably also came out his nose

"Hold-"

He coughed a few times

"Hold on. You think that the shadows are involved?"

"I do not know as of yet"

There was a silence on the other end as no doubt Teddie and Yosuke traded glances.

"We take our break in an hour. Is that ok with you Naoto-kun?"

"It is. I'll make my way over there now. One would suppose something to eat in the meantime is in order."

"We will see you in an hour then"

"Bye Nao-chan!"

"Farewell you two"

When she hung up the phone she let out a long sigh of relief. Good. This was good. A first step. Once they traveled to the other side, she could decide their next move and help to prove a theory wrong. At least, she hoped she could prove it wrong.

By the time Naoto got to the Junes food court she was already starving. Having overslept that morning, she had deemed it necessary to skip breakfast in order to get to work. Famished and yet short on time, she had decided to just get a small green salad from one of the vendors. Her eyes had almost immediately caught the spot where they had all gone to meet during the previous investigation and she sat at her usual spot to eat.

Her mind couldn't help but wonder as she sat there, thinking of the previous investigation with all her friends and their respectable places. She could almost see it as clear as day. She sighed. They should hang out more. But her job kept her so busy. Especially now. She couldn't expect to hang out with anyone any time soon. Rise was working in show business, Kanji was too busy working at his mother's shop making dolls, Teddie and Yosuke worked five and two with Junes, Chie was always off patrolling with the Inaba police and rarely came around the office, and Yukiko was working at the Inn with her family. But… she was certain that she and Chie always found time for one another. And then there was him…

She gripped her plastic fork tightly in her hand as anger swept into her chest. It was hard enough to breathe with her bindings on, but the anger inside made it worse. She was not just angry at him, but angry at herself. Angry for trying at something she failed so miserably at. Or was she angry she was still angry at him? Or herself? She felt herself give up a little inside and she buried the anger inside of her, trying to smother it as she ate. She didn't want to break her plastic fork.

No call, no email, no letter…nothing.

"Nao-chan!"

The call made her tighten a bit inside and she raised her hat a little, smiling ever so slightly as the blond boy rushed up to her with a big smile on his face. Teddie. Always full of energy. She stood up from her spot and couldn't stifle her blush as he practically jumped onto her, wrapping his arms tightly around her in a warm embrace.

The boy almost hadn't aged a day. His thick blond hair had grown out a bit more though and looked a little fuller then last she remembered. But his skin, eyes, lips, hands…everything about him was almost unchanged. As though he was frozen in time. She cleared her throat and awkwardly brought her arms around him, patting his back not quite sure what to do.

"Hey Teddie"

"Hey Naoto-kun"

She was a little more relieved to see Yosuke as he approached; grabbing Teddie by the back of his white work shirt and pulling him back. They both had on their orange standard issue Junes aprons, still technically on duty.

Yosuke kept his hair the same over the last two years, always trying and dressing to impress whatever woman seemed to show him any interest. He had lost weight since last she had seen him. And he had replaced his headphones. They were white now instead of orange but still technically the same brand. They didn't suit him and he probably knew it. Judging by the scratches on them, he was looking for a reason to break them and replace them.

He reached a hand out and she took it firmly in her black gloved hand, shaking it before they all took a seat. Teddie had to sit on his hands to contain himself and his excitement. Naoto kept eating for a few minutes before the bad thought crept into her mind and before she could stop herself, she spoke out.

"Hanamura-san, are you ever in your off hours contacted by so-"

She caught herself and bit down hard to shut her mouth. This wasn't ending well for her. She was on a case and all she could do was reminisce. She looked down at her salad, dropping her fork, no longer hungry. But Yosuke was on top of the question.

"Angry?"

She nodded her head hesitantly, not normally one to open up to anyone, but Yosuke had been his best friend, and her hope outweighed her professionalism.

"Swallow it"

That was a no…he hadn't contacted him either.

She cleared her throat, aiming to clear the air.

"I need to go to the other world for just for a few minutes. Would you happen to have the time? I need to prove a hypothesis right or wrong."

Yosuke wouldn't have shown it, but he felt the same way. Angry. But he had obviously had a much easier time with it than Naoto. He was angry, but he had decided to move on. And work and Teddie kept him busy enough as it was. Teddie and he would be moving out soon to their own place. He didn't have time for games. If this were a video game, he would have demanded a full refund it was so lame.

"We have time Nao-chan"

"Dude, don't volunteer me. But yea, I guess we have time. But why do you need the both of us?"

Naoto snapped the lid back onto her salad and pushed it from her.

"I need Teddie's nose to see if he can smell if anyone has been there recently. That will help me determine whether or not there is a culprit using the TV to kill his victims"

Although, at this point, she was certain there was, but the form of transportation was ridiculous. Thousands of miles apart, one dumping ground? Could that be it? Could it be that if anyone ever died inside the other world that all bodies came to Inaba? What a horrible thought.

Teddie jumped from his seat

"Let's goooooo!"

Naoto and Yosuke glanced around at the customers staring at them. Naoto had the advantage of pulling her hat over her eyes. Yosuke had a lesser advantage and just had to put up with it, unable to do anything if he wanted to. But he seemed more relaxed with it. Perhaps years of dealing with Teddie on a day to day basis had dulled down his sense of embarrassment. They both stood from their seats and followed behind the almost marching Teddie as he walked until they reached the electronics department.

TV's had advanced in the last two years. Obviously enough for technology to advance with the times even in a place like Inaba. The three of them stood waiting in front of the largest of the big screen TVs, waiting for the people to clear out or at least calm down before they made their move. She cleared her throat as she stared at the screen.

"In and out, ok?"

"Got it Nao-chan"

When the crowd died down, she approached the television, reaching her hand out and letting her hand sink into the screen. The cold watery light gripped around her fingers and she moved in, letting the cool water glass fold around her body as she left her world behind and entered a shadow world.

Case 463: -467 hours


	6. Chapter 6

Case 463: -467 hours

Why did they always fall? Why was it that they fell to begin with? Why couldn't they walk out onto? And what did they always fall from? Why was it every time they came to this world, they always fell from some unseen television or portal and yet when they wanted to leave, they simply left through the stack of TV's Teddie had created? She could have spent a lifetime trying to figure out the inner workings of this world and never come up with any solid answers.

Naoto landed a little harder than usual and bent her knees, rolling with the force and over one shoulder. As the finished her summersault she planted her hands on the ground to prevent herself from face planting. Yosuke was not as lucky as he fell forward landing on his chest with Teddie quickly in tow landing on top of him. Kinetic energy. As she stood up, she brushed off her knees and pulled back on her gloves, taking in her surroundings all too familiar.

Her eyes first gazed upon the floor around them, the red and blue checkered floor a grizzly reminder of when she had first been welcomed into the TV world during the first investigation. She remembered for a moment as a dash of fear briefly rushed through her in almost a sense of nostalgia that even though scared her, made her smile just a little. Those timed had been phenomenal. She would be foolish to deny that she missed them.

Her eyes grazed over the floor to the white and black illusional illustration in the center of the floor. As far as she knew, this spot was the center of the TV world. Although not quite the heart of hell people had written about in novels, it was as much an illusion of peace as one could muster with its drawings of figures falling into the white and black circles on the floor. Their meeting place during the previous case. Nothing changing and everything the same as she remembered. The figures in white surroundings the bull's-eye circles of white and black could have been people falling into this world, but she always considered them to be those lying dead upon the ground.

Her eyes moved up to the stack of TVs in the center of the platform they stood on. The Three tube TVs, slightly crooked stacked on top of one another, buzzed and hummed quietly in the silence of this world. She approached the stack and ran her gloved finger along the top of the middle TV. No dust. Interesting. Several theories rushed through her head as to why there was no dust, but she pushed them away remembering that's not why she was there in the first place.

She looked around now, squinting through the dense yellow fog. She hadn't brought her glasses. In hind sight, it had been a foolish mistake. Why bother coming to the TV world and not bring the glasses Teddie had made. She still had them. They were sitting in the drawer of her bedside table. Then again, she had been rushed to get out of the house that morning and forgot to grab them. She didn't expect to see Teddie today either. She quietly cursed herself, remembering she had told herself to remember to bring her glasses to work. Perhaps a string on the finger would have been a better idea.

Pulling back the side of her coat, she reached into her side holster and pulled out her revolver. She pulled on the ejector rod and with a flick of the wrist, the cylinder slid out of place. She checked the chambers. Six shots. Good. She snapped her wrist again for the cylinder to snap back to its position. She then pulled back on the hammer to its first lock and ran it the cylinder along her forearm to spin it before releasing the hammer to its resting position. She was locked and loaded. She took several steps back, revolver in hand. Anything could happen in this world. She wasn't about to take any chances no matter how long or little they spent here.

"Teddie"

"I'm on it, Nao-chan"

The young boy lifted his nose to the air and folded his arms behind his back as he meandered about on the platform. Yosuke moved closer to Naoto for protection, hands in his pockets. If things got bad, the three of them would be able to defend themselves. And even though they had never once been attacked on this platform, none of them were willing to take that chance.

"I think…I think I got something"

Naoto looked down at the ground, her revolver suddenly very heavy. She swallowed hard before speaking.

"Are you certain, Teddie?"

"Beary sure. It's coming fr-"

Teddie suddenly stopped in his tracks, a look of confusion crossing his face.

"That's funny"

Naoto and Yosuke approached him; she pulled back on the hammer of her revolver to its second lock. A simple squeeze was all it took now.

"What is it, Ted?"

"It's gone"

"Dude, what do you mean it's gone?"

"Exactly what I just said, Yosuke. It was there and now it's gone. Beary strange"

Naoto took a quick look around. Still clear.

"Would you mind trying again, Teddie? I need to be absolutely certain."

"You got it, Nao-chan!"

Teddie began his meander again as he moved from one side of the platform to the other and back again. Side to side and up and down he moved slowly, taking his time and Naoto was pleased that he was. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she was just over reacting and this whole thing was just a coincidence. And maybe...maybe if she told herself that enough she would believe it. Yosuke looked at his watch and at Naoto. He had 10 minutes left in his break. And he had been so hoping to close his eyes for 10 minutes or so. He hadn't even eaten his lunch yet. His stomach gurgled.

"Thank you Teddie. You can stop now"

Teddie approached the two of them a little disappointed in himself, his big blue eyes looking down at the ground in shame.

"I'm sorry guys. I tried my best. There was defiantly something there a moment ago. But it's gone now."

"That's quite alright, Teddie. Can you smell anything else?"

"If something **was** here, it's gone now. Everything is so far away now. I can't tell if something is there or I'm imagining it"

Naoto sighed and slowly released the hammer of her revolver, letting it come to rest in its original position. She felt her hand grip tightly on the grip of her revolver, her hand almost shaking in anger but she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm herself. She had nothing to work with.

"Damn it"

The boys were a little surprised. They weren't certain, but this might have been the first time they had ever heard Naoto curse. Yosuke spoke only after she had slipped her revolver back into its holster.

"Naoto, you'll do fine"

Naoto said nothing till she walked back to the stack of TVs. She was angry she had nothing. But then came a small glimmer of hope inside her which flourished inside her mind. It wasn't the TV's. It wasn't this shadow world that was at fault. That meant there was proof that someone had done this using normal conventional means and she would find physical tangible evidence to prove who had done it. This world had nothing to do with it.

She looked down with a small smile, feeling a little more relaxed.

"I believe you, Yosuke. I think I'll do just fine. Thank you Teddie."

As the boys approached to go back home, Naoto reached a gloved hand out to ruffle Teddie's hair. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"You have aided me in more ways than you know. I can say with almost certainty now that this world isn't involved in the murders.

"Well Nao-chan, if you need help in the future, I would be happy to help you "

"I appreciate it Teddie. I only hope it never comes to that"

The three of them made their way back into the TVs, leaving the foggy quiet world behind them. Naoto felt tired as she left from that world back into the real world, always feeling drained after being in there for only a little while.

In the Junes electronics department, Teddie let out a long yawn and stretched his arms out along with his back.

"Whelp, this little guy is gonna go take a nap in the change room. Give me a call if you need me Youske"

"Hold on! I can't keep covering for you"

Naoto spoke up before they returned to their shift

"One moment before you two return to your business."

They stopped to look at her

"Would you two like to…go see a film later? Or perhaps…something?"

Yosuke and Teddie traded glances

"Uh...sure Naoto. We're pretty much free every weekend if you are"

She felt a small smile grow on her face and she nodded her head maybe once or twice more than she needed to.

"It's just that I….never mind. This weekend then?"

The boys nodded before saying their goodbyes and returning to their work leaving Naoto standing there in the department in front of all those TVs. Maybe things weren't as bad as they looked after all.

Then her cellphone beeped.

She pulled it from her pocket. Four missed calls from Dojima and five text messages. Before she could even read them her phone rang and she immediately picked it up.

"Hello? Detective Shirogane"

"Naoto? Where the hell have you been? I have been trying to contact you for the last 15 minutes"

He sounded mad. What happened?

"I-I'm sorry, Sir. I guess I didn't have my cellphone turned on"

"Well now that it's back on, when convenient, get down to the flood plains. We have another body"

Despite the understanding of the sarcasm that dripped from his words, a wave of cold ran through her body and into her face making it feel numb.

"You still there Naoto"

"Y-Yes, Sir. I'm on my way now."

She had never closed her phone harder than she did at that exact moment as she ran from the store to get onto her scooter. A third body? She prayed there was a little more evidence this time around.

As she drove, she thought back to the other world. There had been nothing there. Not even the sound of a shadow let alone a disturbance. If Teddie was useless was she to go to Rise? She didn't even know how to contact her at this point. She had no numbers, no locations, no clue who to contact first. And even if she could get ahold of her, it wasn't as though she could ask her to get on a plane and come right away. And even **if **Rise decided to come to Inaba, even **if** she could get ahold of her, Rise couldn't help without information on who she was looking for. And Naoto didn't even know where to start.

She bit down on her lip as she drove, trying to get there quickly as well as obey the traffic laws. This was all wrong…

The flood plains of Inaba were a road she and the other of the original case had traveled quite often on the way to and from school. She had hung out with her friends at the little picnic table tucked away along the road. She remembered running along it in the middle of the night, screaming into her phone when Nanako, Dojima's daughter, had been kidnapped by the potential culprit of the first case. And now the memories of that place were to be sullied and muddied by the presence of a body.

She wondered if these events would cause people to leave the city; to move out and seek another place to live. Away from all the death that seemed to plague the town regardless of its intervals. She could imagine Inaba being turned in a graveyard from bodies just showing up and she clenched her jaw so tight it hurt. No. Not this city. Not my city.

When she finally arrived on the scene and took her helmet off, the first thing she noticed was the handful of police officers taping off the area and trying to shoo away the few pedestrians that remained. She looked high into the air to see the victim and her mouth filled with bile as she tried not to throw up as a wave of reality came crashing down on her. She turned, coughing into the back of her glove before looking back up.

A woman in a white dress hung from the street light, hanging backwards looking like she broke her back in impact as though she fell from the sky. If she had fallen in the first place. For a moment, Naoto forgot all about what the reality of this situation was and took a moment to ponder what happened when people died in the other world and how they transported to this one. But then her eyes focused again when Dojima came walking up to her.

"I-I apologize for my tardiness Dojima-san. It won't happen again"

"Later Naoto. We need to get to work"

"O-of course, Sir"

He reached into his jacket pocket and handed her her little red notebook. She had left it at the office on her desk. She took it from him thankfully and flipped to the second to last page, drawing a line along the middle of the page making a new piece of information as she followed quickly behind him.

When she stood at the bottom of the street light and looked up, it was almost a dreamlike state as her eyes took in the body. She made a point. African American. She wore a ring on her right hand and a watch on the left. She couldn't see her neck for a pendant or necklace. She would have to wait for the body to be taken down.

She took a few laps around the light pole, checking to see for fingerprints or smudges or dirt to eliminate the impossibility of someone trying to climb the pole with this woman in their arms. She looked at the ground for shoeprints and tracks in the dirt or grass. Nothing.

"Any ideas, Shirogane?"

She turned to look at him, cigarette hanging from his mouth. His last one. What a time to stop smoking. She looked back up to the body before she spoke, lying to herself and him.

"I'm afraid not Dojima-san."

She crouched down, trying at least to put on an act for him.

"No footprints, no fingerprints, no loose dirt. No tracks for machinery."

He nodded his head having the same idea about a machine being used to put the woman's body up there.

"It's not like someone lifted her up there? Climb a pole that size with a body on top of you? Nothing moved like that and doesn't leave a trace"

A voice called out from the few police officers.

"Detective Dojima!"

He ignored it, busy with his partner.

"Think someone really climbed it?"

"Without leaving a residual trace of hands of feet on the pole it seems unlikely. Even if they covered their shoes and hands with plastic it would have made the climb that much more difficult"

The voice called again.

"Detective Dojima"

He didn't hear it again, running through theories with her, lost in his mind.

"No prints, no tracks. She didn't just fall out of the sky. How did she get up there?"

"Detective Dojima!"

He turned, angry and practically ripped the cigarette from his mouth

"WHAT?!"

The officer turned and pointed out towards the field behind the plain, towards the transmission towers just off in the distance. And there, barely visible to the naked eye, three large lumps dangled from the wires. His breath caught in his throat and his cigarette, half smoked fell from his mouth to the floor as he slowly moved forward.

"No…"

Naoto could see them now as she followed in his tracks, lost for words at the sight and she felt her heart skip a beat.

Three more bodies.

She was convinced. The other world was involved. Shadows were involved. And Inaba was the target dumping ground. She felt her legs get weak as she stared awestruck at the poor souls that hung from the wires of the towers.

This was the worst it had ever been. And even among all this, all the realities that were now apparent, even with the bodies that were piling up, and even with the horrible future she knew she would be facing, at that exact moment, she knew that they had nothing. But worse, she knew they would get nothing. Teddie had felt it. He had felt it for just a moment in the other world.

He had felt a presence. The presence of a life being taken and the body being moved from the TV world to the real world. His nose had been right. But unlike before, she was pretty much on her own for this case. Before she had friends to help her. friends wielding personas and special skill sets. She did't know if she could do this so ill prepared for a murderer of this caliber. Six bodies in less than one week. How many more were to come? Would it ever stop?

Her only wish was that fortune would smile on her.

Case 463: -464 hours


	7. Chapter 7

Case 463: -84 hours

Detective Naoto Shirogane sat quietly at her desk, her head resting on her arm, unable to keep herself awake any longer. Her pen, long since retired, still rested between her fingers with the stack of paperwork in front of her. She felt like she hadn't slept in days and couldn't be bothered to move. This time however, she had locked her office door before letting her blinds down to keep herself in the quiet. She told herself 'just a few minutes. Just a few minutes to close your eyes.' but that was almost two hours ago.

The bodies had stopped appearing after that day a few weeks ago. It had all happened in such a strong burst that the police department was glad they had stopped in order to get some decent investigation time in. But why had they stopped? If the murderer was so ready and willing to keep killing, then why just stop? Were they done? Was that all there was to it?

Naoto doubted that she had seen the last of their killer's handiwork. Someone with those powers didn't just stop once they had had a taste. They always came back for more. It was a frightening though that more bodies would show up eventually hanging from some sort of electronic equipment throughout the town.

When she felt a small snore escape her body her eyes opened and she leaned up to look down at the stack of papers before she continued with her report. A few more lines and she would close her eyes again. She looked over her report so far.

Victims so far: Miles and Nathan McDermott, Alexia Tal, Jacob Crane, Donovan Alister, and Sara Diegg.

Six victims.

Cod: Unknown

She felt herself nod off again and she leaned forward onto her hand to prop her head up as she wrote down her findings. No fingerprints, no signs of struggle, and no theft of personal belongings. Each victim carried light bruising on knees and elbows but not enough to determine CoD. Damage suggests fall from height of more than five feet. Autopsy report inconclusive. CSI report shows each victim was killed within hours of one another and Identification indicates victims were in different parts of the world before arriving in Inaba without traceable travel arrangements.

How long had she been at this? Two weeks? Seventeen days? It felt like forever. She sighed and put her pen down, reaching over for her coffee mug placed just within reach off to the side of her desk. She drew it to her mouth. Empty. Damn it.

She crossed her arms and slumped back in her chair, pulling her hat down over her eyes. Just a little longer. Maybe she could sleep the rest of the day and get through the night and come back tomorrow fresh for another start. No. No that wasn't who she was. That wasn't what she was here for.

She leaned forward in her chair and shook her head to clear the sleep, pulling her ponytail out from under her hat and pulling the elastic off of it to let it loose. Taking her hat off she shook out her hair letting her dark blue locks come down to her shoulders. Much better. She spread out her workload in front of her, dividing up her paperwork into separate piles for each victim, separating sheets she would need for photo copying when she went back out into the office. She moved the mouse of her computer the wake it up to the world map in front of her she had opened on a paint program. She circled the locations the victims were from in red. Miles McDermott, Phoenix. Nathan McDermott, Moscow. Alexia Tal, Washington. Jacob Crane, Montreal. Donovan Alister, London. Sara Diegg, Brazil.

Her eyes moved from spot to spot trying to see some kind of pattern. Who was killing these people? It seemed so random for there to be any connection these people shared. What was the murder doing? Showing off? She checked their work records once more.

Each victim had worked at a rather respectable job in one form of business from quality control for this major company to Jr. Vice president of another. Why these people? They worked for separate businesses across thousands of miles with no connection to one another. What made them so special? She looked down at the photos of the victims by their autopsy photographs taking in their features in the pale light the photos were taken in.

"Why are you all so special to someone? Why are you important enough to kill?"

The knock at her office door snapped her out of her stupor and she panicked when the knob was tried. But she had a moment to spare when she remembered it was locked.

"One moment please"

She pulled her hair behind her head and tied her ponytail up again before slipping her hat on and tucking it up underneath. She took a deep breath before she unlocked the door and opened it to one of the older officers. He was taller than her and she had to strain her neck slightly to look up to him.

"Detective Shirogane, the chief would like to speak to you"

She was a little slow on his words but she nodded eventually.

"Very well. Thank you"

The man took another moment to look down on her and eventually turned to walk off. Naoto cleared her throat and closed her door behind her. She would photocopy her papers on the way back from the chief's office. At least whatever he had to say would be over soon and she could get on with her investigation. She made a mental note to go back with Teddie and Yosu-

The realization made her groan out loud. She was supposed to go see a movie with them two weeks ago. It was no wonder she wasn't in the loop anymore. She had no time to enjoy her friends with this case. Damn it. She made another mental note to call them and apologize for standing them up. But she smiled on the inside knowing they would understand and forgive her if they hadn't already. She had great friends.

When she reached the chiefs office she knocked on the heavy wood of the door. He was on the phone with the door open but she hadn't caught the end of his conversation being too busy thinking of other things. He leaned forward in his chair to put his phone down.

"Yea…yea he's here now. Ok. Ok I'll call you back…..thank you, Sir"

Naoto knew there were only a few people the chief called sir. Whoever it was made the chief physically uncomfortable. She could tell from the fake grin he put on his face. Bad news was coming.

"Detective Shirogane. Please, have a seat. And close the door would you?"

She entered the office, closing the door behind her before sitting in the chair in front of his desk. He stood from his seat and made his way over to her, sitting on the corner of his desk in front of her. She noted the stacks of papers on his desk and a large manila envelope before looking up to him. The smile was gone. This couldn't be good.

"Now detective, I want you to know right away that I tried to fight for you, ok?"

Her heart rate sped up, already assuming the worse.

"You aren't thinking of taking me off the case, are you?"

She moved to stand up but sat back down when he raised his hand to her.

"No no. No no no. You are still on the case. You are our best mind, detective."

"Then what's wrong?"

He was quiet for a moment, sucking on his teeth.

"I want to start this off by saying you are a brilliant police officer detective. You really are. Why you bother to stick around this place is beyond someone like me. A mind like yours deserves to be freelance like the rest of your family"

She was a little shocked he knew, and he could tell she was.

"Oh yes, I looked up on your family history. Shirogane lineage. A reputation to uphold, am I right?"

She nodded her head slightly as he smiled slightly before his face relaxed again.

"So I want you to know that I think you are one of the best if not the best we have ever had from a detective and a police officer. You are professional and astounding in your work. It never really ceases to impress me. "

"If I may speak freely, Sir?"

"Go ahead"

"If you would please get to the point"

The chief stared at her for a moment before clearing his throat and standing from his spot and making his way back behind his desk.

"I tried to fight them Detective. I really did. I explained to them your skills and your accomplishments to them but they would not listen. They insisted. "

She was more confused now than concerned.

"Am I being fired?"

The chief sucked on his teeth again.

"No. I am trying to convey something."

This was really burning her time up and began to aggravate her.

"I told them you don't work well with others other than Detective Dojima and they said that you will need to learn fast."

"Detective Dojima…"

"Won't be working on this case with you anymore"

She felt a little angry inside. She never really thought of Dojima as a partner….well maybe she did, but now he was being taken off the case?

"I told you detective. I tried to tell them"

"Well tell them again"

The chief was quiet for a moment before he leaned back in his chair.

"Detective, my superiors are having nightmares over their superiors coming down on them. Have you heard of the phrase 'Shit rolls downhill?' Well someone at the top was in a very long meeting with someone that I have never even heard existed until a few days ago. Then they came down on their subordinate and then they came down all the way down to me"

She bit down hard on her tongue.

"Go on…"

"We are bringing in a detective from the west to help you with the case"

"…another detective?"

"Yes"

He might as well have just punched her in the face. She didn't like working with others on official police business. It had been hard enough to involve Teddie and Yosuke in it and it had been even worse two years ago in the original case. But they were already on the case themselves. It was a different situation back then. More complicated. This was just ridiculous.

"I tried to fight for you detective. I really did. You are a very bright young man and you always get the job done."

She stood from her seat

"I respectfully refuse, Sir. I am perfectly capable of solving this case with the aid of Detective Dojima"

He understood why she was angry and tried to calm her down.

"This isn't about your capability, Shirogane. I understand how capable you are. You are a fine detective. You would have made your parents proud."

At the mention of her parents she slowly took her seat again, trying to control her emotions. He was a superior to her. She had orders to follow. She would have to learn to play well with others. She was quiet as she spoke, tilting her hat down over her eyes.

"Who are they?"

The chief opened the manila folder and read his name out.

"Sebastian Chastity."

She found it an odd name, almost made up. But she didn't know what to expect from those in the west.

"20 years old, graduated from university two years ago with honors in criminology. Apparently he was bumped ahead in his academic career several times. Graduated with a 4.1 GPA."

Naoto understood the grade point average only went up to 4.0 in the west. Perhaps he answered bonus questions correctly a well.

"...and his record is…impressive to say the least."

Naoto could taste venom in her mouth, wanting to spit but she swallowed hard instead.

The chief folded the file up and slid it across his desk towards her. She just stared at it, chewing at her tongue.

"He arrives in three days via train. I want you there to pick him up and take him to where he is staying. Get him settled."

She didn't look up as she spoke.

"And where will he be staying?"

"We will be giving him residence at one of our own officers' house. My superiors offered a trade so we are sending one of our officers in Detective Chastitie's place. It's not very appropriate if you ask me, but Detective Chastity, according to my superiors, was more than happy with it. Our man heads out tomorrow."

"I don't like this"

"Neither do I, detective. I'm not asking you to like it though. I'm asking you to do it. He will arrive, you will solve the case together quickly, and he will be gone. And you can get back to whatever it is that you do."

She was quiet for a few moments

"….when?"

"4:15pm. Train station"

Eventually she reached for the envelope and opened it up to the three sheets of paper inside. There was no photograph.

"There is no photograph."

"The damn thing won't come up on the e-mail's or the fax. Whatever program was used to send the picture won't send it through properly. It just keeps coming up in this blurry image."

"So…you expect me to walk up to strangers and figure out who this detective is at random?"

The chief shook his head.

"I expect you to do whatever it is that you do to get this man to his place of residence and get him to work the next day to solve this case. I don't want him here anymore than you do."

She sighed and closed the folder before standing up.

"Will that be all, Sir?"

"It will detective."

She bowed her head slightly and turned to leave his office.

"And detective"

She turned to look at him.

"Please try to play nice"

"I'm afraid I can offer no promises, Sir"

She closed the door behind her and made her way back to her office. On her way back, her eyes met with Dojima's as he refilled his coffee mug. He nodded to her. He either didn't know or wasn't going to show his disappointment. The only person she was ok with working alongside was now out of the picture.

When she returned to her office she closed her door behind her, locking it again. She set the file down on the desk and took a moment to breathe deep before she grabbed her hat and threw it hard against the wall, it plopped on the ground. She wanted to break something but she liked her things. She wanted to scream but instead drew the fleshy part of her palm into her mouth and bit down on it till it hurt. She wasn't a child. She could handle this with Dojima. She could handle this alone if she needed.

No. She knew that wasn't true. She let her hand fall from her mouth and went to go pick her hat up, knocking it against her leg before putting it back on her head. Disgruntled and angry, she flopped down in her chair, pulling herself back up to her desk. She couldn't use this detective. This wasn't a normal means of work. If someone with her powers was involved it would take someone like her to help. And she was certain he couldn't help with that.

She leaned forward in her seat and held her head in her hands for a few minutes until she finally opened the folder to read over his work history, training, education, and skill set, and make an attempt at profiling the man.

Name: Sebastian Chastity

Age: 20

Hair: black

Eyes: Green

She looked over his medical records. He had a substantial buildup of scar tissue on his spine from a car accident on a case three years prior. It had taken him a year and a half to get back on his feet which was quite a short amount of time to be up and back on the force after an accident which almost severed his spine. He was lucky. At the same time, the scar tissue was now intertwined around his spinal column offering more protection from spinal injuries. She wondered if he would have to have surgery later in life to prevent it from damaging his skeleton.

His body of work was extensive for someone his age. As she flipped through the pages of his dossier, she found herself quickly taking interest in this detective. Half of Canada, one third America, England, Rome, Switzerland, New-Zealand, China, Korea, and West Africa were only a few of the places he had been dispatched to for a case. She actually felt kind of envious of his work.

She set the pages back down in the folder and closed it, taking a moment to stare at it in thought before her eyes grazed across her computer. She moved the mouse to wake it up, opening a search engine and typing his name into the box. Several of his case files popped up, but the images that had been taken of him were all blurry. Even when she opened the image only section, she was greeted by only blurry images of a young man.

She tapped her fingers along the wood of her desk, staring at one of the images.

"We shall see, detective…"

Case 463 : - 81 hours


	8. Chapter 8

_Case 463: -18 minutes_

Naoto Shirogane sat quietly in the vehicle outside the train station, waiting for the train to arrive before she decided to get up. She usually didn't drive a vehicle of this size, but luckily she had obtained her license earlier that year for a car. On normal circumstances she would have just taken her scooter, but she needed to cart someone else around, only had one helmet, and knew that her passenger would have luggage. She looked into the rear view mirror, looking at the case file thus far sitting on the back seat tied up in a thick brown folder. He had requested several copies of the report thus far. It seemed he wanted to get started as soon as he could.

"Take my car." He had said. "Just bring it back in one piece." Dojima had taken being removed from the case quite well other than the rage he had displayed in her office with the door closed. He felt like he was being pushed aside as though all his years of work were for nothing. He was angry he had just been taken off without a second thought by his superiors. She was on his side. It seemed ridiculous that they would bring in another detective from not only another precinct, but another country all together. At the same time, he wanted to help her in any way he could.

She sighed, growing impatient as she looked at her watch. Fourteen minutes. She hoped not to be disappointed with the detective. First impressions, she understood, were everything. She looked down at herself and adjusted the rear view mirror to get a look at her face. She looked exhausted, small amounts of purple had begun to form along the insides of her eyes. If she didn't get sleep soon, they would eventually grow to look like costume paint.

More and more people began to arrive at the train station, both those carrying bags to get on and those having come to pick up friends and family. She supposed it was about that time and she climbed from the car, locking it behind her before making her way into the terminal. But on the way she stopped and took in the building. Or rather, she took in the area around it.

This was the spot. Just over two years ago she had been in this exact spot to see Souji off with her friends. She remembered her words. "Maybe I should stick to my original plan and take the train with you Senpai…" She felt her shoulders slump. She hadn't been here for a long time. And when she really thought about it, which she often tried not to, she would remember why. She was willing to leave everything behind for him. She slid her hands into her pockets and ignored Nanako's crying in her head, Teddie close behind in tears, Rise and Chie tearing up, and what it felt like to swallow the lump in her throat as she had run alongside the train to see him for just a little longer before he vanished from sight on that train, and walked into the terminal, taking her place on the far side of one of the vending machines.

She could see the train. She straightened her jacket and brushed off her legs from any dirt that may have been on her slacks. She adjusted her hat and ensured her ponytail was tucked up underneath. It was a disguise she was proud of. And although she was still learning, and doing quite well at, to be herself, she was still learning and would keep the disguise until she had accepted herself and knew others…who was she trying to impress?

As the train pulled up to the station and people began to walk off, she was slightly surprised at the amount of people. She hadn't read anything on it, but she was certain that not that many people got off the train at this point. She wondered how many knew of the incidents as of late. The detectives' photos had all been blurry on the internet, so she would have to decide who the man she was looking for was. Her eyes skimmed over several people who stepped off the train.

*A detective

* Almost fresh off a plane with a time change of over ten hours from his place of residence to her own

*He would be looking as though he was traveling and most likely staying for a while.

Professional looking, tired, and carrying luggage. She eyed a man getting off the train, looking a little grungy and exhausted. He seemed to fit quite well. What did she have to lose? She had half expected more from the detective, should this have been him. She approached the tired man, clearing her throat before she spoke. "Sebastian Chastity?" She did her best with the punctuation and emphasis on certain words in English as she spoke.

"Are you detective Chastity?"

The man stared at her blankly, responding in Japanese.

"Excuse me?"

"I apologize. I am looking for someone. Are you Sebastian Chastity?"

"No. I am not"

"I apologize, Sir."

The man rudely waved her off as he rushed from the terminal, obviously having a place to be. She turned to watch him leave. Nice watch.

"Detective! Detective Shirogane?"

She turned to look at the man calling her name, a little surprised by his appearance. He wore a black dress shirt with a black blazer buttoned up. The shirt was lightly creased having been ironed the night or day before. The jacket looked expensive as well. She eyed his dark blue tie, noticing the little gold chain that wrapped around the middle of it, pinned through the center. It was a bit of an unnecessary aesthetic feature, but she had her white bow. So it wasn't as though she could have complained if she wanted to. His black slacks hugged him firmly to give a general outline of how his body was formed underneath. She eyes his black hair of a medium length, tell trimmed and of a good shape, his hair in that middle section between too short and too long. The right length. She noticed his eyes. They really were green. Her eyes glanced to his luggage and then to his violin. He had brought a violin half way across the world? She wondered how good he was if he was at all before her eyes snapped back to him as he bowed slightly.

"It is an honor to meet you in person, Detective"

_**Case 463: Start**_

She wanted to return the compliment, but she really wasn't happy to see him. She was however, slightly impressed with his attire. He looked professional. First impressions were everything. He was doing quite well. She held out her gloved hand.

"It is nice to meet you, Detective Chastity"

"Please detective, for at least the first little while we know one another, let's pretend we're friends. Call me Sebastian"

He gripped her hand, squeezing it in his. She was a little more impressed now. Somewhere in the middle of his sentence he had switched from speaking English to speaking Japanese. She felt a small smile turn on her lips.

"You can speak Japanese"

"I speak four languages, Detective"

"Well, that will certainly make things easier when communicating with you"

"I hope we will end up working well together, detective. Shall we be off?"

She nodded and waited for him to pick up his things before leading him out of the terminal to the car. She opened the trunk for him to set his things inside before closing it and climbing into the car with him in close pursuit.

As he sat down, his eyes glanced over her just for a moment, taking her in. He noted her fingers behind those gloves and the way she had turned down her collar to expose her neck. The voice in his head growled quietly for only a moment and he felt himself smile out of habit when soaking in information on someone. He slipped on his seatbelt. He assumed at least three minutes of quiet before he would say anything. He was certain with her lack of interest in conversation that she wasn't happy to see him.

He waited his three minutes of the drive before he spoke out finally.

"Detective, would you mind if we stopped some place to get something to eat?"

She felt herself sigh internally. As polite as he had been, she just wanted to drop him off at his place of residence and get back to work.

"I am under orders, Mr. Chastity, to take you to your temporary housing and head back to work"

"I'll buy…"

At the offer she found herself considering a little more, completely unnoticing the droplets of rain beginning to tap against her windshield. There was a silence between them for a moment which Sebastian took as a no, but after a moment responded.

"Very well. I know a place"

It was a good thing it was starting to rain. She knew exactly where to go to get something to eat on a rainy day.

As she pulled up to the sidewalk of the Inaba shopping district, she pulled the keys from the ignition and indicated the store on the opposite side of the street. It was raining hard now, the rain almost bouncing off the street.

Aiya Restaurant.

"Is here sufficient to your liking, Detective?"

"This looks fine, Detective Shirogane. Is it good?"

"My friends and I use to eat here all the time."

"Wonderful"

He opened his door and pressed down on the lock before looking both ways across the street and making a run for it, pulling his jacket up over his head until he got just inside, Naoto closely behind. At least she had a hat.

It was always clean inside, and the food was always nice. She hadn't eaten here in several weeks. The last time she had been here was only for some tea while looking over some findings for the case back when it was vastly simpler. How did things get so complicated so fast?

She picked the booth her and her friends and normally picked even if it was only for the two of them. They were receiving stares from several of the other customers. It wasn't often a Caucasian was seen in these parts. Sebastian didn't seem to mind though, almost like he was eating up the attention with a small smile. But when the voice in his head whispered quietly to him, he drew quiet, looking down into the table a whispering back to it.

"I know. I already figured that out"

"Is everything ok, Detective?"

He looked back up and cleared his throat.

"Everything is fine, Naoto-sama. Just talking to myself"

The way his eyes traveled over her form as she sat there gave her the distinct impression she was being eyed up. But it wasn't the way most people did. He was calculated the way he moved his eyes, always waiting for a moment for her to look away to steel a glance at another part of her. She had a theory what he was doing, but she would test the theory later. Right now, she wanted something to eat, starving having forgotten to eat breakfast again this morning.

When the waitress, Aika Nakamura, a now long time server at the restaurant, approached, she bowed her head, hands folded behind her back to take their order. She was unsure how to address the young man opposite Naoto.

"I am rather famished, detective Shirogane. What would you suggest?"

She felt a small smile creep on her lips and did her best to fight it down.

"Well, since it is raining today, you could always try the rainy day special"

"Even the name sounds enticing."

He looked to the young woman, smiling gently.

"I'll have two of those please"

Naoto felt her smile evaporate almost instantly at his order request. Two. Even Kanji had problems with one, and that man could really eat when he wanted to. The only person she knew who could finish one was Souji, and even then it had taken the better part of a year for him to actually sit down and finish one.

The waitress had the same expression as Naoto at the request. She had almost no doubt in her mind that this man wouldn't be able to finish. Which as far as a business perspective was concerned, it was good. She wanted to advise against it but instead closed her mouth with a smile and wrote down his order.

Naoto was a little more hesitant, but at the same time, it wasn't her money that was being spent on two rainy day specials. She grazed over the menu quickly, ordering a spicy miso soup. She felt a little guilty if she was to buy anything too expensive since he was about to take the rainy day special times two. They had time till their food would arrive.

"Detective Chastity?"

He called out to the waitress, politely asking for water, and lots of it, before he turned to her.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand the question, Naoto-sama"

He could almost taste her venom as she spoke but he remained polite never the less.

"What I mean to ask is that since we are quite capable of solving this case on our own, why are you here?"

Sebastian cleared his throat and straightened in his seat.

"When things get a little out of control, certain numbers are called when no results are found within a certain amount of time. If it had been one body, detective, or even two, I would not have been bothered with this little visit. But when six are found dead within 72 hours, people begin to get a little concerned and the preverbal flags are raised. Then a timer starts ticking down."

"How long is this timer?"

"Two weeks. After two weeks have passed and if nothing has surfaced, I expect a phone call. The cases I take care common from all over the world, but under normal circumstances most law enforcers find something; a footprint or a fingerprint for example. But as time goes on, the countdown draws closer to 0. And when it runs out, certain numbers come up. I am one of those numbers"

"You failed to answer my question"

He was quiet for a moment as he tried to answer, deciding to use what another person of his organization once said to him.

"It may not be polite, or appropriate, or even in some cases accurate, but I am the one they call when things go wrong"

She was quiet for a moment, trying to understand his position.

"So your duty is to point out how useless I am at my job then?"

He raised his hand in protest.

"Please Detective; don't put words in my mouth. I already read your dossier at home and I am thoroughly impressed by your work. As far as I can see, you are a dedicated and very intelligent individual. I wouldn't be calling you Naoto-sama if I didn't have respect for you. That is how that word is properly used, isn't it?"

"It is"

"Then I would request of you to take that at face value in understanding what I think of you personally. I do not believe that you are bad or even above par at your job. I think you are an excellent detective and I look forward to seeing you work in the field. But if you are to be mad at anyone, be mad at your superior. I simply answered the phone"

The woman set down their glasses of water, Naoto kept hers where it was but Sebastian moved his to the other side of the table. He was left handed.

"See? Now that look alone, Naoto-sama, proves something to me. It was such a small gesture and you caught it without hesitation"

He was referring to her noticing he was left handed and she cleared her throat, looking down a little embarrassed at his comment and at being caught in her deduction of the man. But when she realized he had noticed her noticing, she looked back up to his small smile. They were going to just keep playing off each other. Naoto could feel it.

The woman returned with Naoto's bowl, steaming and red with large chunks of shredded beef inside with corn and broccoli. Sebastian thought it looked good and made a note to try it next time. But on her next two trips she brought over his two large bowls of the rainy day special. Before the second bowl hit the table he had already gone over the contents of the dish in his head, filing it away in his mind. Steak, rice, two kinds of soy sauce, bean sprouts, pac choi, mushrooms, white onion, ginger, garlic, and several spices he couldn't quite see or smell particularly. Naoto watched his eyes, more interested on the way he stared into his meal like he was reading a book than actually looking. He reached for his chopsticks at the same time she did. Before she brought the first mouthful to her lips she asked,

"If I may inquire, what makes you the one they call?"

"I can see things people miss"

"So can I"

"I know. And if you can as well, then what can I see?"

Naoto ate her meal slowly, watching as the man in front of her turned into almost an animal as he ate. He almost practically inhaled his food as they sat there, going through half of the first bowl before her fifth mouthful and finishing it by her seventh as she slowed down to watch. She noticed several of the customers had also stopped eating to watch as had the owner and the waitress. Where was he putting all this food? He had just finished one bowl in less than eight minutes.

"How is it that you can keep eating?"

He finished taking a few gulps off his water, pushing his empty bowl aside and pulling the next one in front of him.

"I have an almost insatiable hunger, detective. I told you I was hungry"

He paused a moment, speaking quietly almost like an afterthought

"I'm eating for two"

That made no sense to her. Eating for two was a more common phrase among pregnant women. Or overweight men if they were making a joke to their friends. But if this was a joke, she didn't understand it from this man.

"What does that mean?"

He smiled a little.

"If we ever get to that point, I'll tell you a little secret"

She couldn't help but find herself staring as he continued to shovel the contents of the infamous"meat dimension" bowl into his mouth. He wasn't look at her, but he could feel her watching and swallowed his mouthful hard, waiting for the growl in his head to grow quiet as he ate.

"You're staring, detective"

She quickly looked down into her bowl, eating slowly now. She wanted to stare. She wanted to watch him cram his meal down into his stomach, swallowing just over 2000 calories in a single meal. It was impressive…disturbing to say the least. Instead she willed herself to look down into her bowl, eating quietly. As she finished her meal, he cleared his throat, placing his chopsticks into the empty bowl and the empty bowl into the other empty one. 6000 yen. He had just eaten 6000 yen of food and looked as though he had room for more. He wiped the table in front of him and took another few gulps of his water. She felt a little silly as she looked down into her bowl, still remnants of food in it. She wondered if she should offer it to him since he was paying.

"Are you still hungry, Sebastian-san?"

"I am sated for now detective. But thank you for the concern. Am I able to order this on a not so rainy day?"

"I don't know"

"Well I hope so. It was nice"

Naoto pushed her bowl away, setting her chopsticks inside the dish. The woman returned to the table to collect the dishes, a little frustrated expecting to have been able to give them a big bill, but she placed the single sheet of paper on the table with very little writing on it. Sebastian grabbed for it before Naoto could look at the bill even though she knew the cost already. He squinted at it. A little confused he called the waitress over.

"Hi. Sorry to bother you, but why isn't my meal on the bill?"

Naoto was quick to respond.

"It's the rainy day challenge"

The woman responded next.

"If you eat it all then your meal is free"

Sebastian bit the side of his tongue before reaching for his wallet.

"Well that's not good. If I had known I would have ordered something else. How much is one if you fail?"

"3000 yen, Sir"

"That seems fair enough"

He took a second glance at the bill before pulling several bills from his wallet. He paid for her meal and one of his bowls regardless of the waitress's protests. He didn't think it fair to take advantage of these people due to his hunger. They had been willing to accept the money. They both stood now at the door of the restaurant and he pulled his jacket up over his head before Naoto opened the door and they both ran out towards the car. She jumped in quickly and reached across the island divide to unlock his door and let him it. A good day had turned dismal so fast. When he sat down he pulled on the sleeves of his jacket and tightened his tie a bit, straightening the little gold chain pinned through the material.

"Nice chain"

"Nice bow"

She smiled a bit and started the car but took a moment, not looking him in the eye as she turned to face him, her eyes buried under the rim of her hat.

"Thank you for the meal, Sebastian-san"

"You are very welcome, Naoto-sama"

They both reached for their seat belts and secured themselves before Naoto put the car in drive. She was now back on track. All she had to do was take him to his place of residence and then get back to work. Two hours in and so far so good. She still didn't want him here, but there grew a small inkling in the back of her mind that maybe she had been a little quick to judge.

_Case 463: In-progress_


	9. Chapter 9

Sebastian slowly cracked his eyes as he regained consciousness with a quiet groan. Panic hit him first before remembering what had happened. He was on the floor. Slowly he rolled over onto his back, pushing the case of his violin out of the way so he could stretch out. He brought his hands up to rub his face and along his eyes.

"How long was I out?"

The voice in his head, deep and throaty with a growl, responded in kind.

"Three hours"

"Well, it's more than I usually get. Did I miss any calls?"

"No. But you did miss several text messages"

"I'll deal with it later. What time is it?"

"Somewhere around nine"

"Guess I better get to work then"

Hours earlier, Sebastian had been sitting quietly in the car with the young detective, looking over the case file she had brought.

"Is this everything you have so far?"

"It is"

Sebastian sighed, flipping through a few more pages

"Not much to go on…"

He felt another wave of exhaustion hit him and he felt himself fall forward a bit, but caught himself at the last moment. He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. Naoto hadn't noticed and he was thankful for that.

The drive finally ended as they pulled up to a small house at the end of the street. Sebastian couldn't read the name as they passed by the street signs. He would have to just remember the look of the words. And he would. The house was quaint and small, nestled up against a hill behind the house that was the extent of the view from the back. The white house with black and green frame made him smile a little bit and he held out his hand as Naoto offered him the key, given to her by the chief the day prior. She turned off the engine and exited the car with him to open the trunk and he pulled his suit case and violin out.

"If I may inquire, detective Chastity, why did you bring a violin with you?"

"It helps me sleep when I need to, Naoto-sama. It also helps me think"

She didn't understand, but who was she to question the workings of another detective. She was certain some of her methods would be odd to him when she worked with them in the field.

She unlocked the door for him and he entered the foyer to take a quick look around. She went back to the car to grab his copies of the case. He set his violin case on the hardwood of the kitchen entrance as well as his suitcase against the wall. This was going to be his place of residence until the case was over. He hoped the owner had cleaned his bed sheets before he left. Or did the dishes at least.

She took a quick look around the room herself, taking in the living room in the back of the kitchen just past the foyer.

"It's nice"

"If you need anything detective…"

"Where can I buy groceries?"

She cleared her throat and took a step backwards, needing to get back to work.

"Junes. It is an estimated six blocks down the street we came. Will you need directions?"

"I think I can find my way around Naoto-sama"

"If you are settled Detective, I need to return to work"

"Of course detective. I will see you tomorrow then. I'm looking forward to working with you."

"As am I detective Chastity"

She wasn't certain if she was, but she was almost fairly certain she wasn't as she took the hand he offered to shake it. She gave a quick tip of her hat before walking back to the car, heading back to the station. Sebastian watched her drive off from the doorway, closing it half way to not let her see him bracing himself against the wall and praying she didn't see how pale he had just turned. He smiled as she drove off and closed the door. Taking slow breaths he felt a flood of relief wash through him and he turned to collapse onto the hard wood of the kitchen. As the world faded into black, he heard the quiet growling in his head return.

Slowly he turned onto his stomach again and drew his legs up to stand back in the foyer and took his black boots off, sliding down the zipper on the insides. He took the time to move around the house, getting his baring and surroundings of the place. Two stories. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms. Kitchen connected to living room, kitchen to bedroom/bathroom, kitchen to stairs leading to second floor. As he got to the top of the stairs he was met with a T-junction. To the right was a bedroom and bathroom; to his left was another bedroom. A house for a family of four. Nice place for a single police officer. He wondered how the man could afford it.

He made his way back downstairs and into the master bedroom that connected to the kitchen. Dresser, closet, bathroom, futon. He never understood why people just didn't buy a bed. But he had theories. The more likely of which was people wanted more space. A bed was meant to be slept in and then put away for the day.

He unfolded the futon and leaned down, sniffing the sheets several times. Unwashed. How rude. He sneered and pulled the sheets from the bed as well as the pillow cases. He would need to find the washer and dryer. Or perhaps he would sleep on the couch in the living room. No. No, he wasn't going to sleep on the couch the entire time.

As he searched the house for the washing machine, he talked to himself.

"So…what happened back there?"

"I don't know what you mean"

"You know exactly what I mean. Always there, always with a comment or word of advice and you just up and disappeared on me"

"I was preoccupied"

"Right. After this many years with me, only now are you preoccupied with something"

"I felt something"

"Go on"

He found the washing machine and dryer downstairs just outside the back door on the small back porch slab of concrete.

"Something else was there with the detective. Something over their shoulder"

"So?"

"It rendered me speechless"

"My my. Growing attached a little quickly, aren't we?"

The voice, embarrassed, grew quiet.

He turned the washing machine on to clean his sheets before returning to the room upstairs, the bedroom on the left. He opened the door to an almost empty room. There was a couch against the far wall, but mostly empty aside from that. He felt a small smile stretch on his face. This would be perfect.

He tossed the case files onto the couch and went back downstairs into the kitchen, retrieving a pair of scissors from one of the drawers. He grabbed his luggage from the foyer and brought it onto the couch in the living room and unzipped one of the small pouches to retrieve a small spool of red, black, and green thread and a pack of tacks before heading back upstairs.

Sitting down on the couch, he opened the case file and began to read over its pages, cutting out key pieces of information about the victims and their autopsies. He cut out large chunks of information and the photocopied pages of their pictures. When he missed something, the voice in his head would instruct him to go back and look over a piece of information he missed and he would cut it out.

After two hours, he had a small stack of cut out blocks of information sitting beside him on the couch and a shredded case file which he stuffed back into the folder. He would need to return it to the detective in the morning when he arrived to work.

He stood from his seat and began to tack the chunks of information to the walls in clusters for each victim. He would need to remind himself to fill the holes he would leave by the time the case was over. Two victims were placed along the three walls leaving him more than enough room to maneuver around them as he would move to the next step of beginning his investigation.

When he was finished, he went for the thread and began to link the pieces of information with any connections they might have. Certain connections were linked in red, possible connections would be linked in green, and black would be linked with connections needing investigation.

Within another two hours he had them all linked about the room connected to the fan on the ceiling. He had decided to make the ceiling fan the murderer. In a figurative sense. He stretched quickly and looked from the center of the room at the case around him. There was so little solid evidence. That wasn't good.

He moved downstairs to grab his violin case and brought it back upstairs, cracking it on the couch. He smiled down at the instrument as he ran his fingers along the shiny stained wood before pulling the bow from its spot on the top of the case, running it along it's small block of resin several times. He pulled the violin to him as he stood up and made his way back to the center of the room and placed his bow along the strings. He already knew it was tuned.

As he drew the bow across the strings, his eyes moved along the photos and clippings he had cut out, piecing together the investigation so far. He spoke out loud and the voice in his head responded in kind and asked the most basic question.

"Ideas?"

"They aren't connected"

"They aren't connected to each other. But they were all killed by the same person"

"How can you tell?"

He increased the tempo of his song as he moved about the room, his mind piecing together what he knew, filling the blanks with assumptions and hunches and a more likely outcome

"Six killed from places around the world all without a trace and all ending up in the same place under the same circumstances. It is not as though there is a market for this sort of thing."

He smiled to himself and he turned to face the other wall, sliding his fingers along the strings to play the notes he needed for the song.

"So six murders and each of them killed by the same person. What about transportation from one spot from another?"

"Three theories currently exist."

"Illegal transportation, private transportation…falling out of the sky seems unlikely"

"But not impossible"

"They all worked for rather well paying businesses. Think someone wants them dead for their position?"

"With known evidence it is unlikely.-"

"-because there isn't a single person who works for these companies that would benefit-"

"-and no single company eliminating competition holds enough sway with any of the work places of the victims to have a financial gain from the death of a total stranger"

He was slightly frustrated. So few questions could be answered from what they knew. The voice spoke first.

"Unless they were targeted…"

"We knew they were targeted"

"…by an outside person"

He stopped playing for a moment as his smile began to grow and he set his bow along his side as he looked from picture to picture

"Interesting theory. A third party kills someone for someone else to move ahead in a company…but can we prove it?"

"Maybe there really is a market for that line of work after all"

"Oh this is good. This is very exciting"

"More data will be required for a certain motive"

"And we still need to take a look at a body"

"Perhaps there is one in the morgue at the police station"

"Unlikely they have kept one thus far. Once the paperwork is completed they most likely contacted family to arrange travel plans or disposal"

"So it would be better to wait for another victim?"

"Unfortunately so"

He drew the bow across the strings a final time before looking away from the walls and outside through the small window at his back. Sunrise. They had been at it all night. He yawned and set his violin back into its case with its bow and snapped the case closed.

"What time is it?"

"About 6am"

"Do I have enough time for a run and a shower before the detective picks me up?"

"If you change quickly you will have enough time"

"Wonderful"

He yawned quietly to himself as he made his way downstairs, unbuttoning the three buttons to his blazer and slid it off his shoulders, resting it over the back of a chair. He began to open the buttons to his shirt after removing his tie, unpinning the chain from it to set it on the kitchen table. Slowly he let the material slide from his body and he folded it up neatly, also setting it on the table.

Naoto blushed from her spot on the hill, the green blanket over her body having kept her warm through the night. "Keep an eye on him" the chief had said. "Don't let him out of your sight." She was perfectly comfortable with spying on the detective or anyone else for that matter, but she felt uncomfortable as she watched him undress.

His skin was slightly more pale than that rest of his body but it was toned from years of…some…sort of physical training. She couldn't determine just on appearance. She pulled the small silver binoculars from her eyes to rub them before peering through them again, watching as he turned to move for his luggage. Then she saw his scar. The mass of scaring ran from the base of his spine almost to the back of his neck. A large build up of scar tissue and surface damage had formed a large, thick, almost protruding scar on his back about the width of a soda can across and almost two feet long.

She found herself staring at it as he moved, watching it bend and fold to his body. When he pulled the belt around his waist free, she removed the binoculars from her face to look away, her face burning. She couldn't deny that there was that small bit of curiosity in her that wanted to watch, but she needed to be professional about it. That notion outweighed her curiosity.

She counted to ten, then twenty, then thirty in her head before looking back through the lenses at him. He had slipped on a pair of black track pants with three red stripes down either leg and was just slipping on a silver shirt that complimented his figure well and looked good juxtaposed to his black hair. She could still see the outline of his scar as he moved to put on a pair of red and yellow running shoes. They looked expensive.

He did a quick stretch and grabbed his mp3 player and headset from his luggage before heading out the door, locking it behind him. She watched him begin his run, surprised at not only his speed, but the effort in which he gave it. His run was in full stride as though he was chasing something or someone. She needed to take up running. She really should work on her cardio.

When she was sure he was out of sight, she creeped her way out from the blanket and stood up, stretching her arms and legs. As she made her way down the hill, she pulled her hat from her head, shaking her hair out for a moment and then tucking it back under her hat once she had placed it back on her head.

She was exhausted and didn't realize it until she reached the back door next to the washer and dryer which he hadn't locked. She tested the knob and pushed the door opening. Peering around the corner, she listened for anything out of the ordinary. Clear. She kicked her shoes off and stepped inside the house, feeling herself cringe at breaking a very basic law. But she was under orders by her supervisor. Perhaps she was taking them a little too literally.

She looked around the kitchen. He hadn't eaten all night or into the morning. Perhaps he was still full from his meal earlier. She assumed she had an hour or less to learn more about the detective before he got back. But with his running speed, she wasn't so sure and nor was she sure how far he would travel along the single road before heading back.

She first moved for his jacket, reaching into the breast pocket to take a look at his wallet. The black leather almost shined in the light of the kitchen as she opened it, looking at the stack of bills within. There was quite the sum inside. Next was his identification which she studied to memory. The picture on his ID was slightly blurry as well. She couldn't imagine how difficult getting his passport photo was. How many times he would have to go back for a re-shoot.

She folded the wallet back up and slid it back into the breast pocket of his jacket before moving for his luggage in the living room. She carefully moved his articles of clothing out of the ways she dug deeper, not wanting to leave a trace of her presence. He had plenty of dress shirts and different pairs of slacks as well as two other pairs of leather shoes. Everything looked so expensive in the suitcase. Even the case itself didn't look cheap. When she was done working in this town, she would need to figure out how to get into his line of work. Maybe she could buy a nice Rolex like the first victim had.

There was little to work with in the bag and she didn't have time to search through all the compartments, but she was certain this was meant for cloths. In the small time she had interacted with him, he had been kind, and yet direct. Unlikely he would hide something in his luggage. So instead she moved her way upstairs to the room she had heard the music from. He knew how to play after all. And he had been very good at it.

When she opened the door to the room, she was stunned by the intricacy of the web he had created. She was careful not to touch any of the strings of thread as she made her way to the center. She looked up to the fan and followed the strings outward to the pieces he had pinned to the walls with the photos and paragraphs from her report. He had a strange way of trying to figure out the case. She didn't quite understand it. But when she stood in the center like a spider and opened her arms, she could almost feel the answers come to her as she looked about, her fingertips just ever so gently running along the thread. Strange. She would have to do this at home….maybe. See if it really worked.

Sebastian took deep gulps of air as he moved to a slow walk, catching his breath and pulling the buds from his ears. He had tied the key to the house on the string on his track pants and untied it before unlocking the door to the house. He needed a shower. He only had maybe two hours before work. It was wonderful running here. No one was around. Everyone was still asleep or getting ready for work, but no one had been on the road. He kicked off his running shoes at the door.

"New record?"

"You were 17 seconds behind your previous best"

"We'll try again to-"

He felt himself freeze up once he entered the kitchen and slowly he leaned his head up, sniffing at the air. Something was out of place. He took a quiet step into the kitchen, sniffing at the air as he moved. He wasn't imagining it. The voice growled.

"We are not alone"

He would have reacted differently, but his memory suddenly jogged.

"Damn it. I forgot to put the sheets in the dryer last night. I hope they don't smell."

As he opened the back door and pulled it open, he notices the black boots on the small cement patio.

"Well that narrows it down, doesn't it?"

He leaned down, picking up one of the shoes to examine it, making a note at the thicker sole and heel of the boot. He ran his fingers along the cheap leather and turned it over a few times to look at the condition of the material. He placed his hand inside; pressing down against it, feeling the indent of the foot it belonged to. As he pulled his hand out he reached down to pick up the other. He spoke with a smile.

"Smell anything, my friend?"

"I do"

"Tell me"

"Confirmation"

"Wonderful. So they are a liar as well…"

"Confrontation?"

"Later. When the time is right"

He smiled and turned back inside the house, placing the shoes down in the foyer near the front door. He could just sit there. Pull out a seat and wait for the detective to come down. But that would be rude…and frightfully awkward. He was better than that. Instead he zipped up his suitcase and pulled it into the bedroom, closing the door behind him, only moments later coming back out to move his sheets from the washer to the dryer. If he was lucky, he could get some sleep tonight. But that was a fleeting dream. Right now, he needed a shower before work.

Naoto pushed herself tightly against the door to his web room, hand pulled over her mouth and eyes clenched tightly. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She had heard him talking to himself, but she felt relief sweep through her once she heard the pop of the water of the house begin to run as he began his shower after his run. Did he never sleep?

Slowly she calmed herself down and opened the door to look down the hallway. Clear. She quietly, stepping on the edge of the stairs as she moved, walked down the staircase to the kitchen and moved to the backdoor. But when she got there, she felt terror run rampant through her when her shoes weren't there. Had he taken them? Was she to stand there and wait? Or hide? Was he wanting to confront her about this and hid her…

Relief was what she wanted to run through her when she saw them by the front door, but only disappointment in herself and a bit of shame came from her. He caught her. But rather than confront her he had again been polite and let her go on her way. She pulled her hat down over her eyes before sitting down to pull on her boots. She cursed herself once she opened the door, knowing she needed to go back around to the hill to pick up her blanket before going to her car….and then she had to pick him up for work.

She could feel that it was going to be the longest car ride of her life.


	10. Chapter 10

Throwing his towel over a small hook on the wall of the bathroom, Sebastian left it to get changed for his day. He opened his suitcase on the couch in his bedroom and pulled out a black dress shirt and a dark red tie with a new pair of black slacks, a pair of black boxer briefs and a pair of black socks. He would need to remember to attach his chain on the kitchen table to it before he left for work.

He slid on the shirt and buttoned it up to his neckline and wrapped his tie around his neck, folding it up properly and pulling it snuggly against his neck, buttoning the little wings of his shirt down over the tie and folding the collar back. He sat on the couch and slid on his socks next. The voice in his head cleared its throat.

"Are you not going to speak of this?"

"There is nothing to speak of."

"So the detective may run freely through your things in other words…"

"No. But I have a feeling that they know I know. The detective will learn in time. Everyone learns in time. Be patent"

When he finished getting dressed he went back to the kitchen to sit and wait for the detective to pick him up for work. He pulled his cellphone from his pocket to look at the messages that he had missed from earlier the night before. Three were from Naoto, one from the chief, and three from his superior. He ignored the ones from his superior and the chief and deleted them without looking at their details. Whatever his superior had to say could wait, whatever the chief said he could talk about in person, but Naoto was a little more difficult to read.

'Is everything to your liking? Y/N,' 'do you require a ride to work tomorrow? Y/N,' 'will 9 AM be an appropriate time to pick you up tomorrow? Y/N'

He responded

'Y,Y,Y'

He looked at the clock. He had an hour to burn until the detective arrived. So he returned to the bedroom and took his phone charger from his bag and plugged it in to charge his phone. He then moved to get his sheets and pillow cases from the dryer. He just needed to keep himself busy. But as he began to unfold his futon to make his bed, his stomach grumbled.

"Are you going to feed us?"

"No"

"Why not?"

"Because you were trouble"

"We are hungry"

"I don't care. Be quiet. We will eat lunch in a few hours"

"We want to eat now"

"Don't be such a child"

The doorbell rang and he adjusted the cases on his pillows before he stood up, his knees cracking.

"Coming"

When he opened the door to the house, Naoto, head down and hat pulled over her eyes, stood quietly in the doorway

"Detective Shirogane"

He looked at the clock in the kitchen

"I wasn't expecting you for another forty five minutes"

"I brought you breakfast"

The voice in his head was quiet again but he looked at what she offered none the less. In her hands she carried a large brown paper bag. He could smell the grease from where he stood, but the coffee she carried in the other hand seemed inviting.

"You didn't need to, Detective"

"I wanted to"

She was quick to push the conversation forward

"I-it's just that you haven't had time to go shopping yet. So I didn't think you had the necessary things for breakfast"

He smiled slightly and reached his hand forward, just gently raising the rim of her hat up. She was looking down but looked up to him shyly.

"Thank you for your concern Detective"

He took a step aside to let her into the house. She felt bad for having snuck in earlier to rummage through his things regardless of her orders, and she felt this was the least she could do. She knew she probably wouldn't feel bad if she hadn't have been caught. That and she needed to repay him for lunch the day before. He took the bag and tray of coffee from her so she could take her boots off. While she took them off, he sat down at the kitchen table and opened the bag to two sandwiches. No doubt one for each of them. He took one of the sandwiches and one of the cups of coffee and set the other on the table for her on the opposite side.

She sat down opposite him but just stared at her food as he pulled back the wrapping to his sandwich.

"I hope it is to your liking, Detective Chastity"

His words were slow as he examined his sandwich.

"I won't say it again, Detective Shirogane, but please pretend we're friends and call me Sebastian"

He pulled back the top layer of bread for the sandwich. A fried egg, bacon, cheese, and thick potato layer. Internally he smiled. The longer he could go without succumbing to the local dishes, the better he would feel. If this case took several months, he couldn't imagine the expression on his face when he could eat at a burger king. Then he remembered the state of the floors and stopped smiling.

She didn't eat her food while he did, just sat there quietly, hands folded in her lap, looking down at her legs. He wasn't saying anything about it. Why? Was he just being polite? Or maybe he didn't know? No. she knew that wasn't the answer. She knew he had a way of looking at things and had no doubt, if not before, known they were her shoes he had moved.

"You look tired, Shirogane. Are you not sleeping well?"

She looked up a little abruptly and then relaxed, nodding her head. She had been up all night watching him from the hill. She needed to keep quiet about it. She would be honest, but circumnavigate the previous night.

"I haven't been sleeping well since the investigation"

"Stress?"

She nodded again

"Well I hope to take a little of that stress off you. Everyone needs their beauty sleep"

Something clenched up tightly inside of her when he spoke but she quickly dismissed it and slowly unwrapped her sandwich, taking small bites off of it, returning her eyes to looking down.

As they sat there together, he couldn't imagine what was running through her mind. But he did have several theories. He wondered if he just stayed quiet, how insane would it drive her? How uncomfortable would it make her? He leaned back in his chair and looked under the table at the detectives legs which barely came down to the floor and along her feet, confirming a hypothesis. He felt the voice in his head growl quietly with confirmation and he sat back up in his chair. Naoto took a sip of her coffee.

"Do you have trouble sleeping, De-…Sebastian?"

"Every night"

"How long has it been since you had a full night's sleep?"

"About 14 years"

She was quiet mid chew as she looked up to him. She swallowed her mouthful. Was that why he didn't sleep last night? Because he can't? She could go a week or so without getting a decent night's sleep before the hard crash to follow. But years? Almost a decade and a half?

"How do you deal with it?"

"I don't. I pass out when it gets too bad and I take long catnaps"

"Have you seen a doctor?"

"Three"

"What did they say?"

"Get more exercise"

"You seem as though you get plenty of exercise"

She did it again and let it slip that she had watched him.

"I agree. But exercise isn't the problem"

He had ignored the slip up. She knew she wasn't that lucky. Fortune or not. He was just being polite. She needed to smarten up and watch her tongue. He was more intelligent that she had originally believed he was and that was becoming problematic. She had to watch him again tonight. She wondered if she could lock herself in her office while he did some field work to get an hour or so sleep. But she suspected not.

"What is the problem then?"

He smiled up to her after taking a drink of his coffee

"I'm too much in my own head. Too many thoughts"

"I don't know what that's like"

"Then I envy you for such a thing"

There was a moment of silence between them as they ate, the awkwardness of the situation pressing down on her from all sides. She knew that he knew she had snuck into his place and looked around. But he wasn't saying anything. It could have been out of sheer politeness, but Sebastian didn't say anything because she was already beating herself up about it. And he preferred that to confrontation. He would save it for another time.

"Do you know how long you will be here, Sebastian?"

"On the case?"

"Yes"

"I would hope no more than a few weeks. Three or four at the latest. But in the event that it takes longer, so be it. My only concern is that the man we traded with will need to come back home because I am taking too long and I will have to find residence elsewhere. Which will not be a problem, just slightly inconvenient."

Naoto felt the words come out of her mouth before she could catch them, her brain just jumping to the closest solution and blurting it out.

"My partner Detective Dojima has a room you might be able-"

He raised his hand in protest again.

"I don't want to be a burden to anyone, Naoto. I am here to do my job and leave. If my job requires me to find residence elsewhere then I will do so. But I will not be a burden to anyone in order to do my job. Being in a foreign house is one thing, but I am alone in this house. Being with your partner would be even worse. I take it he was taken off this assignment for me"

"He was"

"Then that would make it all the worse for the both of us"

There was quiet for a few more minutes between the two of them.

"How are you with our man in your home?"

"I already took the necessary precautions. Set out a list of instructions for him to follow so he doesn't get confused. So long as he washes my sheets and pillow cases before he leaves and cleans the dishes, I really don't care what he does."

She felt herself smile slightly

"It takes a lot to upset you, doesn't it?"

"I have a very short fuse detective. And when the fuse is lit I get angry, loud, and rather violent. My employer refers to me as volatile when my fuse is lit. But my fuse is wet. You have to try very very hard to lite it."

She understood. She almost felt like she was the same way. Someone had to work at making her upset or angry enough to lash out. But when she did, she felt like she was a completely different person. She kept most of her emotions inside. That similarity made her wonder if he was the same way. If he was hiding what he really was feeling, then she couldn't imagine what he was really trying to convey with the smallest of motions. But unlike her, he was honest. So was he really expressing all there was to express or was he hiding something deeper? The whole idea made her frustrated and confused and she put on the face of it she normally did when frustrated with a deduction. He noticed it and once again knew what she was thinking.

"Don't think too hard on it, Naoto. You'll give yourself a migraine"

She looked up to him but pulled her hat down a bit.

"How can you know what I'm thinking?"

He took a sip of his coffee and stood up, taking her plastic wrapping from the table and his and putting them into the bag before disposing of them.

"I told you detective: I can see things people miss."

She stood up as well, biting the inside of her lower lip as she went to put her boots on. He was as smart as her. Possibly smarter. That or he was just very good with deductions. Either way, she would have to watch herself closely around him to ensure not to give away too much information. She would have to think about what she said before she said it.

When they arrived at the police station, Naoto was surprised to see Dojima standing outside on the steps. As she waited for Sebastian to get out of the car and she locked the doors, she wondered if this was to be an altercation. Dojima was the last person to ever really let anything go. He was also a man to hold a grudge. But as they approached, she looked to Sebastian who had his small smile on his face. He said nothing as Dojima walked down the two steps towards her and she reached into her coat pocket to hand him the keys. He looked to her, then Sebastian and his smile, then back to her.

"Is this the one?"

She nodded her head, just watching the two. Dojima wasn't one for violence, but anything was possible.

Dojima looked Sebastian up and down, but she was more interested in the way that Sebastian looked at him. She followed his eyes as he took in Dojima's face. His unshaven stubble, the slight twitch in his jaw from his lack of nicotine for the last few days, the messiness of his hair, the way one arm of his shirt was rolled up further than the other and down to the way he tied his shoes. Sebastian's smile grew a little wider as he absorbed the man's information into his head.

"He doesn't look all that much smarter than me"

She was certain he didn't know that Sebastian knew how to speak Japanese and she felt herself tense up inside her stomach

"I can see why you were so angry you would have to deal with him. I feel kind of sorry for you Detective. Now you have to walk around and translate everything for him."

She felt her face heat up, Sebastian knew she had been speaking ill of him now.

Dojima took a step closer to Sebastian, looking into his eyes. He was acting a little out of character, but then again, Sebastian had been the source of his anger for the last few days. And hers until recently.

"I think you were right. He doesn't' look as smart as you"

She sighed and pulled her hat down over her eyes as she looked down, embarrassed. Sebastian on the other hand simply turned his head slightly with his small smile to look at her before laughing quietly.

"Detective Dojima, I presume?"

Dojima felt himself tighten up as well when he spoke Japanese. Sebastian offered his hand to Dojima to shake.

"Detective Sebastian chastity. I feel sorry for him having to deal with me as well. I knew I was unwanted here, but I'm a little surprised it was **this** unwanted"

Dojima felt a little sick. He had assumed like Naoto had that he wouldn't speak the language. But his assumption had been wrong and now he felt embarrassed and a little hurt that he had insulted this stranger to his face who was only trying to help. Slowly he reached up and took the man's hand in his, squeezing it to shake. His other hand left his pocket to scratch the back of his head.

"l-look…I'm-"

He stopped Dojima before he could speak

"I can understand why you are angry, Detective. I would be too. But I want to help. My job is to help fix things. I apologize for being the reason you were taken off this case. I know it must anger you. You look like a man who takes his job very seriously and is dedicated to it. But please don't look at me as the bad guy. I'm here to help stop the bad guy just as much as you..."

Dojima would have killed for a cigarette right now.

"If you want be angry at me, that's fine. But I would like to try and be friends with you and those I work with so I can get the job done fast so I can leave where I'm not wanted. Ok?"

"….ok"

Sebastian's small smile returned as he patted Dojima on the shoulder and walked past him and up the two steps. Dojima looked to Naoto but she only stood there, hat down, cheeks red, and hands in her pockets balled up in fists tight enough she thought she might break the skin.

"Detective Dojima"

Dojima turned slightly to look at Sebastian.

"Would you like to come over for dinner? Say…Wednesday? Sixish? I'm a really good cook"

Dojima was a little hesitant and surprised at the offer from the young man and just blurted out rather than thinking, his mouth ahead of his brain

"S-sure. I…no..no I can't. I have to take care of my daughter"

"Bring her along. I can make more"

Naoto only listened with her head down, the silence between them seeming to stretch on further

"yea….sure…ok"

"Wonderful. I'll see you at six then. Bring wine. White please. Red won't go well with dinner. I'll be sure to have something for your daughter to drink as well"

"o-ok. I'll tell her then"

Sebastian turned to open the door and cleared his throat as he held it open for Naoto. Dojima turned to look at his partner who just stood there for a moment before slowly making her way to the steps, each step she made making her a little more uncomfortable. She felt terrible, and embarrassed, her eyes stinging as they welled up.

She said nothing as they walked through the officers in the halls as they made their way through the station, Sebastian getting many a stare and a few insults in Japanese as he entered. Apparently this was not the best place to be as far as popularity was concerned. He didn't expect any hugs or high fives from these men and women. And regardless of Naoto being near, the voice in his head growled viciously as they passed by the officers on their way to the chief's office.

When they finally reached the glass door to the man's office, Naoto stopped just outside the door and knocked on the glass. He was on the phone with someone. When he saw Naoto he waved her off and looked back down at his desk but then back up when he realized Sebastian was standing there, the black haired young man's smile was gone. Naoto looked over to Sebastian who looked at the chief in a professional manor rather than the playful sort he had been a few minutes ago with his small smile. He looked down to her with those stern green eyes of his and she looked away quickly, waiting for the chief to hang up the phone.

He waved them both in and Naoto gripped the door handle before pushing it open for Sebastian, speaking quietly to him as he walked past her into the office, looking down at the floor, her cheeks still red.

"I'm sorry"

He responded just as quietly, walking past her without looking at her.

"No you're not"


	11. Chapter 11

"Detective Shirogane, would you give us a moment?"

The chief leaned back in his chair when Sebastian entered the room and looked over Naoto. Head down, hat over eyes, and red faced. Had he made the detective upset? Naoto nodded her head quietly and closed the door behind her to leave the two alone. She took a deep breath and walked quietly and briskly to her office, locking the door and lowering the blinds. She wanted to be alone for a little while. She took off her hat and let her ponytail loose as she sat down in her chair, holding her head as she tried to calm down. Sebastian had turned to watch her go. Perhaps he had been a little rude. The voice in his head cleared its throat.

"Not to intervene at an inopportune time, but perhaps you should apologize later. Take the detective to dinner."

He didn't answer verbally but instead thought it. 'I'll make dinner later. Perhaps invite Naoto tonight. Clear the air.'

"Detective Chastity"

Sebastian turned back around to look at the chief who was now standing from his chair. He walked around his desk and offered his hand to him and Sebastian shook it firmly. Sebastian put on a small smile to the man, pleased he was speaking English to him regardless how unnecessary it was. He was getting a little tired of people assuming he didn't know the language. Did anyone in their tiny brains really think he would be dispatched to a place and walk around with an English to Japanese booklet in his pocket? He felt his right eye twitch.

"How was your flight over?"

"Dismal."

"And your temporary housing?"

"He didn't clean his sheets before he left. Rude if you ask me"

"I'll be sure to speak with him when he gets back"

"No you won't"

The man paused at his comment but cracked a small smile as he sat down in his chair, leaning back in it and folding his hands on his stomach.

"Have you read over the case file, Detective?"

"I have"

"Tell me what you think"

"I will need time with one of the bodies and a cornier before I can make a more solid assumption. But I must say that I am looking rather forward to working on this case"

"Good"

There was a moment of silence between the two of them as the chief eyed Sebastian up.

"What's on your mind, Detective?"

Sebastian was honest in his words and rarely held back to express what he was truly feeling. So when the man opened the door, Sebastian walked through it.

"I was wondering, Sir, if I am to expect the same bullshit attitude from you as the rest of the men and women of this police force?"

The man paused for a moment, caught off guard by his language, not truly accustom to being spoken to in such a fashion.

"Excuse me?"

"How long has word of my arrival been circulating around your officers?"

"Uh…about three days? Four if you include yesterday and this morning"

"So for the last four days it would seem I am some sort of joke or accident to your officers"

"I...I don't understand"

Sebastian yelled now, his fuse having been lit the moment he walked into the station. He cursed in Japanese to let the man understand he knew how to speak in the lands' tongue.

"Bullshit!"

There was a slow halt of traffic outside the office when he yelled. Naoto, in her office, dried her eyes on her sleeve and stood from her seat to see what the commotion was. She peeked through the curtains of her office window to watch the chief's office down the hall from hers. Sebastian's fuse had been lit. She wondered how he would react now.

"Detective Chastity-"

"I have been in this station less than ten minutes and all I have received so far are bets against me, ridicule, insults, and borderline threats from your officers."

Sebastian who had been leaning forward in his seat leaned back, flopping back in his seat.

"I am here because your officers can't solve this case on their own. Most likely because of their incompetence."

He turned in his seat to look out the glass door, making sure everyone within ear shot knew he was speaking to them.

"Incompetence!"

Naoto looked down and let go of the blinds, moving back to her chair, sitting quietly. Sebastian had seen her leave her spot by her blinds and felt the voice inside him sting a bit. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, smothering the anger that was trying to rise up inside his chest and stomach. He opened his eyes slowly and leaned back in his chair. He folded his hands in his lap and crossed his legs, now talking calmly and quietly.

"Look…I want to help you all. That's my job. But I won't help you if there isn't some level of respect between me and your officers. Or you for that matter."

"Detective-"

"I know you don't want me here, Sir. No one does…"

A small smile formed on his face

"…and if that be the case then let me just do my job so I can go home and get out of everyone's way."

The chief was quiet for a moment. Sebastian had been a point of joke and ridicule for the last few days around the office and he had let it go by. He had even joined in from time to time. But now that he was in front of him, he seemed to understand that he was just a man come to do his job. And regardless of his early, very warranted outburst, he was trying to be polite and professional.

"…What do you need from me Detective?"

Sebastian's smile grew a bit more.

"I will need a quiet place to work, away from your officers on the rare occasion I come into the office."

"Rare occasion?"

"I will not be in here every day, Sir."

"Why not?"

"I have my own methods, Sir. Field work. I will come in to update you on my progress once a week or to pull files or research documents necessary to my investigation. I do things my own way or not at all. That term is not negotiable, Sir"

The chief looked down at his desk and leaned forward, folding his hands on it. He wiped away a few specklets of dust off the wood. He was quiet as he considered the terms. It wasn't as though he had a choice. His superiors had turned in desperation to a man they didn't fully understand.

"…Very well. Anything else Detective?"

"Am I able to get transportation for the time I'm here? A ghost car preferably. Or a vehicle in general?"

The chief sighed as he thought.

"I may be able to acquire one from the next town over. But I can't promise anything."

"All I can ask is that you try, Sir."

"Will that be all?"

"I want Detective Shirogane as my partner for this case on a permanent basis for the duration of the investigation. To follow my same expected schedule"

"Why him?"

Sebastian smiled a little brighter exposing his white teeth in a half smile.

"Because he's smart enough to keep up with me"

The chief sucked his teeth for a moment before nodding.

"Anything else?"

"I think that will be all, Sir. Would you mind telling them to stop staring and to leave me alone?"

The chief looked past Sebastian to the outside office and stood from his seat, moving for his glass door. The traffic outside the office was still halted when the chief opened the door and took a step out into the offices. Sebastian continued to sit quietly, looking forward.

"Leave him alone to work. All of you. Shirogane!"

Naoto opened the door to her office after taking a moment to clean up and she stepped out to approach her superior

"Sir?"

"You will be assisting Detective Chastity on this case as his partner. Do you understand?"

Sebastian turned his head only slightly, indicating that he was listening to them. She sighed and nodded her head.

"Yes sir…"

"The two of you won't be coming into the office for the next little while. So grab what you need to now so you don't have to keep coming back"

She nodded her head again. The chief leaned his head down to whisper quietly.

"My previous order still stands"

"Understood, Sir."

Sebastian walked out from the office, approaching the chief. He offered his hand and the man took it.

"I will see you in one week's time, Sir, with an update on the case. I would like to speak with a coroner with a body tomorrow. Preferably someone with very steady hands and some skill with a knife"

"I'll see what I can do, Detective"

When Sebastian moved to let go, he was stopped and the man's hand gripped tighter on Sebastian's as he stood in front of him.

"I want to trust you Detective…"

"Then trust me"

The man let his hand go and Sebastian turned his attention to Naoto.

"I'll be outside when you're ready to leave"

Naoto didn't look at him but nodded her head. Sebastian glanced down at her jacket and noticed the few strands of grass attached to her coat. The voice growled to confirm a thought in his head before walking past them to go outside. Naoto turned to watch him leave as he straightened his tie, fixed the collar on his jacket, and ran his hands through his hair.

"Be careful with that one, Shirogane."

"I'm always careful, Sir"

"I want an update from you every evening, alright? You have my e-mail"

"Understood, Sir"

After Naoto had gathered her necessary things from her desk, she joined Sebastian outside the station. He was standing off to the side talking on his cellphone to someone. She didn't want to listen in, but she was his partner now and had nowhere to go to be out of earshot.

"I understand, Sir, but they were necessary"

…

"No. No I wouldn't say that"

…

"I understand, Sir."

…

"No. No. You aren't listening. This isn't a request. I'm not asking politely. Get me access to those damn files. I don't care if you have to send a ghost to get them. Just get it done"

…

"Then fire me. Send someone else to handle the case"

…

"Good. I'll expect them by Thursday then."

…

"Thank you, sir"

He hung up his phone and sighed, Naoto was certain he cursed in one of the other two languages he knew.

"Is everything alright Detective Chastity?"

He smiled with a small chuckle, running his tongue along his upper row of teeth

"It seems in order to get what I want; necessary bouts of rage must be distributed. I'm importing the work files of our victims. I'll have extra copies made for you when they arrive on Thursday"

"Thank you, Detective"

He turned half way to her with a small coy smile and she looked to the ground, correcting herself.

"Sebastian"

When she looked back up he approached her, moving a little closer than she was comfortable and she had to lean her head back slightly to look at him. His smile was gone.

"Naoto…I apologize for making you cry earlier. It was rude of me to assume your words were not honest when you said you were sorry and I apologize for making you upset. It was never my intention"

Naoto blinked and leaned her head back down, pulling her hat over her eyes.

"That is alright, Sebastian. It was warranted"

"It is not alright and it was not warranted, Detective. I apologize."

He took a small step back to give her her space and lifted the rim of her hat a bit to look at her.

"I want to be friends with you, Naoto. I really do. But I can't work with you if you won't start being honest with me. Understand?"

She didn't like him lifting her hat up, but she didn't think he could help himself. He was direct and honest. And she would need to get used to it. Or she could just be honest with him… He let go of her hat

"I will try, Sebastian"

"That's all I can ask of you I suppose"

There was a moment of silence between the two of them as they stared at one another. She liked this man. He was honest and kind. He was smart. Though he was a little volatile, as he had said he was, he was also very very strange. There was something off about him as well she just couldn't put her finger on. But it was there just out of her reach. Then it dawned on her. He had a secret as well. She could see it in his face and in his eyes. The same look she had from a day to day basis. The look she had perfected over years of practice to hide. But…if she knew he had a secret…did that mean he knew she had one? Worse yet, did he already know what it was? The thought caused her to shudder and she used everything she could to suppress it. She saw blood start to run from his nose.

"Detective…"

He blinked a few times and cleared his throat, reaching up to touch it.

"Excuse me"

He made his way over to the grass patch along the side of the building and pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket, bringing it up to his nose, coughing several times as he leaned over.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded his head several times.

"Sleep deprivation causes high blood pressure which in turn, on a rare occasion, causes nose bleeds. I try to keep myself active and do what is necessary to keep my blood pressure down. But every now and then…"

"Are you alright?"

"Just give me a minute"

He stayed leaned over for a few minutes waiting for it to stop. It finally did as the third minute began to creep up and he finally leaned his head back, testing and waiting to see if it would start again. Nothing. He cleared his throat and tucked the handkerchief back into his breast pocket, making sure to fold up the cloth so ensure no wet blood would touch the inside of his jacket. Naoto waited patiently, a little concerned for his health now.

"So…what is next on the agenda, Sebastian?"

He cleared his throat and straightened his tie.

"Now we go to Junes so you can help me with my groceries. I think we have made enough progress for today. We can start fresh tomorrow. Or rather, we can start when your superior gets me that coroner so I can take a look at the bodies you have"

"I'm afraid we only have two remaining"

"Then that will have to do to start my investigation"

"But the coroner already gave us the lab results. All had an inconclusive COD"

"But they didn't know where to look or what they were looking for"

"And you do?"

"I'll know it when I see it"

Naoto sighed quietly, rolling her eyes.

"You are a strange man, Detective Chastity"

He smiled in return.

"I know"

The walk to Junes had taken them almost an hour. In that hour, little had been said between the two. Naoto had nothing to say to the man that his movements and the way he acted could already give away. So this is what it felt like to be observed and not just seen. It was a little scary to her. But did she have a right to complain when she had been doing it for years? He held the door open for her and she nodded her head as she walked past him into the market, a warm blast of air sweeping over them once they had entered the building. Warm air in the winter, cool AC in the summer.

"Sebastian…"

He glanced over to her after he pushed the button on the elevator

"What am I to do in the mean time?"

He smiled and took a step into the elevator with her, pressing the button for the market on the first floor

"I expect you to wait. Keep yourself busy until I call on you. I want my partner there when I examine the body and to work with me when the work history of the deceased arrive. Speaking of which…"

He pulled his cellphone from his pocket and opened his contact list, punching in her name.

"…I will need your phone number, Detective. Your text messages come up as blocked. I assumed they were you however. No one else outside of my work knows my number."

He handed her his phone and she took in the condition, trying to be inconspicuous about it after punching in her number to the respective slot. But then she remembered who she was dealing with and decided to just do it out in the open. He leaned over to watch her work. She turned the phone over in her hands several times taking in what she could.

"What do you see, Naoto?"

She glanced up to him shyly but cleared her throat looking back down on at the phone.

"You take good care of it. The shell casing is in very good condition so you don't drop or damage it very often. You keep it in a pocket without anything else away from keys and loose change"

"Good. But you can go deeper than that. Try again"

She turned it to the charge port to examine the condition.

"You change it quite frequently. Possibly every night or morning like clockwork..."

She examined the headset jack.

"You don't' use it to listen to music. You keep a screen protector on it at all times."

"Good…but…"

She didn't know what else to say. Then an idea crossed her mind and she turned the screen off and then back on. There was no password required to get into his phone.

"You are the only one that handles this phone so you keep it unprotected. It's never far enough from you for you to worry about it…..it's always on?"

"Always"

"This phone means a lot to you as a product of your professionalism and business…"

"Which means…"

"You only hand it to those you trust…"

He took the phone from her and turned the screen off, slipping it back into his pocket. They had been standing quietly in the elevator with the doors open to the first floor for a few minutes, no doubt blocking the traffic for other elevator users. Naoto stepped off, followed quickly by Sebastian.

"Naoto…"

She paused in her stride to look at him.

"Would you care to come to dinner tonight? Say around…eightish? If that's not too late for you"

She froze at the offer

"T-tonight?"

"Yes tonight"

She felt her face begin to burn and looked down to the ground. On the one hand she needed to spy on him; on the other hand, she hadn't had a good home cooked meal in months. And he had claimed he was a good cook. Good enough to invite Dojima and Nanako to his house for dinner tomorrow night.

"U-umm"

"I'll be making beef stew"

Beef stew. Home made no less. Not that store bought stuff in a can.

"I am afraid I must decline. I am already preoccupied tonight"

He wasn't convinced.

"Are you?"

He knew there was too long of a pause in her response before she nodded her head.

"I am afraid I am already busy with duties for the chief. I hope you understand"

He could taste copper in his mouth from the lie, but if that is how Naoto wanted to play then so be it.

"Very well Detective. Should you wish to reconsider, you need only ask"

"Thank you for the offer Sebastian"

He nodded his head and walked past her, heading into the store

"S-Sebastian"

He turned to look at her

"You're going the wrong way"


	12. Chapter 12

Carrots, check.

Potatoes, check

Stew meat grade meat….little harder to obtain, but check

Onion, check

Garlic, check

Beef bouillon, check

Salt would most likely already be at the house

Worcestershire sauce, check

Sugar would be at the house

Paprika….better get some just in case.

Milk, eggs, cheese, butter, a thick French loaf, and red wine.

Sebastian looked into his little cart over his ingredients and groceries. He didn't want to have to walk down the six or so blocks back here should he get home and forget his things. That would have been embarrassing.

Naoto walked quietly alongside him. Occasionally he would ask a question of where something was and she would tell him, but other than that, she simply stayed quiet.

"A can of beer…damn…"

"Is beer necessary for a stew, Sebastian?"

"You don't have much knowledge of cooking, do you detective?"

She grumbled quietly to herself.

"I normally eat out or have food delivered. Or prepared for me"

"And yet you decline my invitation for a home cooked meal. To each his own, I suppose. When cooking with beer, the heat evaporates the alcohol but keeps the flavor. So the taste of a good flavored beer is essential for the meal. Beer is not necessary, but it does make it taste better. And personally, I don't like beer. But I love cooking with it."

Naoto put her hand on the cart and steered him towards where the alcohol was sold in the grocery department of Junes, off towards the tall coolers. The array of beverages made him physically uneasy. He had never tasted….most of these. The only brand he was familiar with on the wall was Asahi, but did he really want to be that bland in his decision and choose the only beer he was familiar with and had cooked with before at home in his dish?

"My my…how adventurous do I feel?"

"Naoto-kun!"

Naoto turned her head and a small smile crept up her face as Yosuke walked from down one of the isles. Right, he was working an earlier shift lately.

"Hello Yosuke"

Sebastian remained staring at the wall of beverages, his eyes skimming over the titles and sizes of the cans and colors…oh the colors!

"What are you doing here this early?"

Naoto cleared her throat and indicated Sebastian who had turned to observe

"Yosuke Hanamura, this is Detective Sebastian Chastity. My partner for the duration of my investigation."

Yosuke smiled at the man as he extended his hand. Yosuke rubbed and wiped his hand on his apron and extended his hand to the man, shaking it firmly.

"Is he causing you any trouble, Naoto-kun?"

With his small smile, Sebastian shook his head.

"I can understand you just fine, Mr. Hanamura"

Yosuke gave a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head

"Sorry"

"Don't be. No one gets it on the first try. Tell me, do you drink?"

"From time to time"

"I'm looking for something with lots of flavor. Something that doesn't taste like you would find it on the side of the street"

Yosuke walked past him and grabbed a large silver can off the shelf and handed it to him.

"It doesn't taste like piss, if that's what you mean"

"I do. I'm trusting you Mr. Hanamura"

"Please call me, Yosuke. You're making me feel all adult. Ick. So, where are you from?"

"The west. Here to help your detective on his investigation. I would prefer to wrap it up quickly and be out of everyone's hair"

"Are they giving you trouble at the station?"

"They are indeed"

"Well don't sweat it. They gave Naoto lots of trouble at first"

"Did they now? What for?"

"Size, age, determination, age, the particular handling of the case, size"

Naoto kicked Yosuke in the side of the leg which caused his knee to buckle and he leaned down to grab it, rubbing the spot she kicked

"Ow! That really hurt Naoto!"

"Yosuke! Did you say Nao-chan is here?"

Teddie poked his head out from behind a small enclosed section of vegetables across from the coolers of alcohol. He had been sleeping among the produce again. How he was never fired Naoto would never know.

On eye contact with Sebastian, Teddie felt his teeth pull back to expose themselves to him. Sebastian felt a growl escape his lips and he abandoned his cart, feeling his own teeth expose themselves. Yosuke completely forgot about his leg and watched the two with Naoto as Teddie and Sebastian approached one another. Teddie's hands clenched to fists and Sebastian's opened and curved like claws as they sized one another up. Yosuke was afraid there was going to be a fight.

The two approached one another swiftly but upon reaching a close distance, they slowed down. Teddie let loose an audible murr as he stood face to face with Sebastian, looking up at him. Sebastian couldn't help himself. The growl in his head was loud and he could feel it in his body, almost threatened by this boy. He made a note later to speak with it about this. Finally Teddie's lips pulled back over his teeth and he leaned into Sebastian's neck, sniffing at him.

Yosuke felt his head fall to the side as he watched Teddie with this stranger. Naoto was busy watching Sebastian as he did the same, sniffing along Teddie's head and shoulders several times. They stared at one another, Teddie letting loose a quiet murr while Sebastian growled quietly at him. Teddie spoke first, his voice low and quiet.

"I like you"

Sebastian spoke regardless of the growl in his throat

"I like you too"

"Wanna be my friend?"

"…Sure. Would you like to come over for dinner on Thursday?"

"…sure…can Yosuke come too?"

"I can always make more"

"Thursday it is then"

"Sixish?"

"I'll be there"

"Good"

They leaned away from one another and Sebastian returned to his shopping cart, smiling his little smile at the confused two. He looked to Naoto.

"I'm going to go back home now detective. You are relieved until tomorrow I suppose when we go to take a look at the body in the morgue. If you wish, my offer for dinner is still available. Text me"

Naoto just stood there still confused, unable to grasp ahold of what had just happened. Whatever it was that had happened. Sebastian smiled at Yosuke again.

"It was nice meeting you Yosuke. I hope to see you Thursday night for dinner. Wear a nice shirt"

Yosuke was quiet as he watched Sebastian leave. Teddie joined the two of them waving to his new friend.

"Dude, what the hell?"

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what?' what the hell was all that about?"

Teddie looked just as confused as Naoto did now.

"What? It's an animal thing Yosuke. We're always afraid of other animals taking what belongs to us"

"…THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE!"

Naoto tried to be the voice of reason.

"Teddie, what did you two just do?"

"We sized each other up Nao-chan. That's what animals do"

"I'm afraid I don't understand"

"I see that. But that's all I can really say. There is something beary strange about that man. I have never acted that way around someone before"

"Do you mean you felt something odd about him?"

"It's his smell"

Naoto's job was to spy on this man and find out more about him. What was it Teddie had felt in his scent?

"Tell me Teddie"

"I can't put my finger on it. But it's…different. Complex. Like there is something inside of him covering up his scent. He smelt…different. That's all I can say"

Naoto sighed heavily.

"I am going to head back to the station for my ride. I need to get home and maybe get some sleep before tonight"

Yosuke finally pried his eyes off Teddie

"Why? What's tonight?"

Naoto thought fast

"Oh. Just some work for one of my superiors."

"Well don't stress yourself out too much. By the way, does Sebastian know….?"

"I don't think so"

"Ok. We'll keep it quiet then"

"Thank you, you two"

"Don't burn yourself out Nao-chan. You know how you get when you're on a case"

Naoto nodded and said goodbye to her friends before leaving the store, buying a few small packs of tea on the way out. She needed to get home and get some sleep. The next few weeks with the detective would prove to be interesting.

Sebastian turned his laptop on the counter he was cooking on, reading off the recipe he had on the screen, following it exactly and ignoring what he knew was nonsense. He took his time in his food, knowing how much he and the voice in his head loved to eat. On one occasion he had gone to a doctor afraid he had Prader-Willi syndrome, a disease wherein a person felt hungry all the time. He did have an almost insatiable hunger and ate a lot when it came time to eat, but he was able to control it. Whether it be will-power or a ridiculous notion he had the disease, it had turned out he didn't have it. So in the end he had considered that a win.

Naoto lay prone on the grass at the top of the hill with her little silver binoculars pressed against her eyes as she watched him in the kitchen. She had slept late into the afternoon and only had time for a shower when she woke up. She should have been up earlier to get prepared for the night, but her bed had been too comfortable and she hadn't slept in the last few days. It seemed only appropriate that the crash had hit her so hard. Sebastian cracked the can of beer Yosuke had suggested to him and took a sip of it. His face had the look of 'it's ok' before he poured it all into the pot he was cooking in. Her stomach grumbled with hunger and she began to chew on her tongue to ignore it. The stew looked lovely from where she was. She had wanted to take him up on his offer, but she had a job to do. When it really boiled down to it, she didn't know what she was expecting to learn from this. That he doesn't watch TV? That he talks to himself constantly? That he enjoys cooking? It wasn't as though he was going to shed his skin and fly away or invite rogue government officers to his house. This wasn't some bad spy novel she had read. When she really thought about it, the task seemed meaningless.

After watching him for almost forty-five minutes she began to get really bored. But it was her job. She had to stick to it. The chief was expecting a report in the morning when they went in to take a look at one of the bodies and she wanted to have something.

Sebastian took a spoonful of the stew cooking on the stove and drew it to his lips, smiling when the growl in his head let out a murr.

"Good?"

"Good"

Sebastian took a large white bowl from the cupboard and filled it with the stew, setting it aside. He cut a large chunk off the French loaf and put a layer of butter on it before setting it inside his bowl. He reached for where he assumed the utensils were kept and opened the drawer. Wrong one. He opened another slowly, praying there were forks and knives inside. There were several pairs of chopsticks, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the glinting steel of the silverware. It had been one of his biggest fears since he got home that he would have to walk all the way back to Junes to pick some disposable ones. He was unfamiliar with the contents of cupboards and drawers of a Japanese kitchen. Or maybe he had just been lucky with this house to actually have forks and knives.

He made his way with his bowl and silverware to the kitchen table and sat down, slipping the napkin he had grabbed under his silverware. He had taken his jacket off when he had returned home and simply rolled up his sleeves before he began to cook. He was a clean cook, spilling nothing on his nice black dress shirt or dark red tie. He dipped the spoon into the stew and drew it to his lips but stopped as he opened his mouth. The voice in his head let out a deep growl.

"We're hungry!"

"I know…but I feel like I'm being rude…"

Sebastian sighed and set his spoon down, pushing himself up from his seat. He pulled his cellphone from his pocket and punched in a text before pressing send and slipping it back into his pocket. Naoto pulled the blanket a little further over her head so only her binoculars stuck out from the material. Why wasn't he eating? She knew he had a hunger, but why wasn't he eating? Was he just to discard it now? He moved into the kitchen and pulled down a second bowl from the shelf and filled it with the stew, taking another thick slice off the loaf, buttering it, setting it in the stew, and bringing it to the table on the other end. Was he expecting company? Someone he had seen on the way home? Perhaps someone else from the office he had bumped into on the way out. Then he opened the sliding back door to the porch and sat back down at the table, sitting quietly. Her phone buzzed.

She looked away from her binoculars and pulled her cellphone from her pocket, straining to look at the bright screen in the darkness of the shroud. It was from him.

'Hungry? Y/N'

She had failed again to keep a low profile. Was it the lenses of her binoculars? Was that what had given her away? No. she had been very careful in this. How did he know? She felt her jaw tense up in anger. She was trying to do her job but he was picking up on her too fast. Is this what people felt about her? Angry she was always one or two steps ahead of them? The anger was quickly overcome and swept away by her embarrassment again. She really didn't think she could be careful around him. He was just going to keep catching her. More disturbing, how long had he known? She threw the blanket off of her, making her slow decent down the small hill.

Sebastian sat quietly, hands folded on the table as he waited, staring at the stew. He could feel his arms trying to reach for it through the influence of the voice but he kept them down. The voice in his head didn't have a will of its own to control him, but it certainly fueled a desire and want. Like an addiction. He turned his head only slightly with his small smile as Naoto appeared from the blackness outside. He looked at the clock. 8:15.

"Good evening, Detective"

Naoto said nothing as she leaned down to take her boots off before stepping inside the house, closing the door behind her. She had her hat pulled down over her eyes. He was getting tired of that. As if it shielded her in some way. But he supposed that it brought her comfort. She sat down quietly at the end of the table, looking down at the meal, her stomach aching for it as the smell reached up and pushed her senses over the edge with its delightful scent.

"There is no need to be shy, Naoto."

She only slightly looked up to him.

"You must be hungry. Please, eat"

She reached to grasp her spoon, drawing it into the stew and bring it up to her mouth. It was delicious. She was surprised with its quality and flavor. Beef stew wasn't something she had often, but now she had no idea why. This was delicious. Thick chunks of beef, potato and carrot in its sauce with small strips of onion and minced garlic. It was cooked just right and the meat fell apart against her tongue. She ate another mouthful, then another, and by the time she realized it, she had already eaten her bowlful and began to devour the thick slice of bread and butter he had prepared for her. Her meal was done. Had she eaten it that fast? She looked up to him but saw him only smiling at her as he leaned over his bowl, still steaming. It would seem she too had a hunger. He cleared his throat.

"Would you care for another bowl, Shirogane?"

She looked back down to her legs and nodded her head, to embarrassed to really speak after first being caught and then devouring the meal he had prepared for them both. He stood from his seat and took her bowl into the kitchen, filling it back up. He turned to her.

"More bread?"

"Y…..yes please"

He cut another slab for her and turned the little electric kettle on near the microwave to boil the water inside. He set her bowl back in front of her and sat back down at his seat, taking his first mouthful. She ate quickly and quietly at her delicious meal. It had been forever since she had tasted a decent home cooked meal that didn't come out of a Styrofoam box.

The loud click in the kitchen caused her to look up as he stood to attend to it.

"Are you thirsty, Naoto? I bought tea. I have blackberry and chocolate mint."

"Blackberry…please"

Sebastian's phone rang as he prepared the tea. He slipped it from his pocket and checked the number. Naoto watched his shoulders slump as he sighed, observing his movements. He answered it.

"I told you to text me"

…

"I don't care what they are offering. I want them"

…

"I'm sorry. I zoned out for a moment. How much?"

…

"Are they out of their fucking mind?!"

Naoto jumped in her seat when he yelled, feeling her chest and back tighten up. He was scary when he was angry.

"So this is bribe money then?"

…

Sebastian leaned forward onto the counter and let his phone fall to his side as he rubbed his forehead, cursing quietly in English. She didn't know the word he used.

"Fine…fine. Wire them the money from my account."

…

"Yes…yes OK. Wait. Before you go and send them the money, give them the warning that if this comes back to me, I will skin them alive."

….

"Then let them sue me"

He hung up his phone and took a moment to himself, running his free hand through his hair as he tried to relax and he slipped his phone into his pocket. What a waste. He prepared his and Naoto's tea and brought her her cup, setting it on the table beside her stew. She had stopped eating, physically uncomfortable with what had just transpired.

"Did I ruin your appetite, Shirogane?"

She was quiet, sipping at her tea. It was lovely.

"I apologize for that. I have trouble controlling my temper sometimes"

"What was that all about?"

He pushed his bowl of stew away having lost his own appetite and sipped quietly at his cup.

"I would appear that the nice people at one of our victims offices are a little greedy. They refused to hand over their paperwork for the investigation without a court order. With that in mind…"

"…you couldn't get a court order for a murder taking place in another country."

"So they wanted something to grease the wheels."

"Which was?"

"20,000"

Naoto choked on her tea and coughed a few times.

"20,000 dollars?"

Sebastian nodded, growling quietly as he took a sip of his tea.

"Do you have that much to spare?"

"I have plenty to spare, Naoto"

Naoto was quiet for a moment. He was honest. So she asked what she was thinking.

"Are you rich?"

Sebastian smiled. She was catching on.

"In a sense. When my parents died I was well taken care of. I have always had more than my fare share and more than I wanted."

So…he lost his parents as well. She didn't want to prod at him. But he could see she was curious.

"You can ask, Naoto…"

"You could just tell me…"

Sebastian set his cup down, folding his hands on the table

"My parents died in a plane crash when I was four. They were doctors. Special doctors. They made it their duty to go about and work with specific clients in different countries. They were…umm…rich people doctors. And they were very well regarded. So when they died on a business trip, I was set up."

"I'm sorry for your loss. How..how were you set up?"

"Well, life insurance pays off triple if one dies on a business trip. Most people are ensured, at least I am and a lot of people I know, at one million dollars. Insurance value goes up for certain people because they are worth more and or what kind of plan they pay into. So my parents were valued at around three million a piece before the business trip insurance addition was in place. So you do the math"

She had never sat at a table with someone like him. He had money. Lots of it. But…it was a very unfortunate set of circumstances that he came to it. Money or not, he had lost his parents. Much like her. Only she never got anything to dull the pain. Or was his pain really dulled? Her eyes crossed his tie again.

"That chain of yours belonged to your father?"

He smiled.

"It was my mother's actually. I don't remember much, but when I think back to it I think my dad was much simpler."

She stared down at her cup and into the purple brown water inside of it, looking at her reflection. She couldn't remember much of her parents.

"You suffered the same fate…didn't you, Naoto…"

She didn't like opening up, but he had been brave enough to.

"...Car accident."

He was quiet for a moment

"Would you like something a little stronger to drink?"

"God yes"

He stood from his seat and took her tea from her and headed to the kitchen to open the bottle of red wine he had bought. If she didn't like the taste of it, she probably would have drunk it out of sheer politeness. He pulled the cork and filled two mugs, disappointed that the owner of the house had no wine glasses. What a shame.

"Tell me about yourself, Naoto. I'm intrigued."

She took a sip of the wine he offered. It was ok. She wasn't a drinker, but it helped with the way the conversation was going.

The evening continued on. Naoto talked about herself in small chunks. Growing up without parents and having to be raised by her grandfather, the Shirogane estate and lineage, the troubles she had gone through with the police in the town, and even going into the case from two years ago. She had been honest but had skipped over her persona, the TV world, the shadows, and her being a woman. Sebastian just sat there and listened quietly. Eventually they had gone through the bottle and had gone back to tea.

Somewhere in the middle, the conversation had switched to stories being swapped between her cases and his. She found herself leaning on her fist, listening intently to one of his stories.

"So when she entered the room at 9 am the following day-"

"Oh no…"

"-this red paint was all over her"

"What a horrible way to start the morning…."

"But she was wearing that jacket I told you about"

Naoto felt her mouth fall open.

"The coat was ruined. Ten thousand dollars just gone down the drain"

She found herself laughing and brought the back of her hand to her mouth, trying to stifle the small giggles that came from her. Sebastian smiled a little brighter. He liked her laugh.

"Naoto"

She took a sip of her tea, looking at him, letting out a little noise to ensure him she was listening.

"Who hurt you?"

The smile on her face faded almost instantly and she found herself looking down at the table, biting the inside of her lower lip. He shook his head.

"Never mind. Never mind. No point going into that. A talk for another time perhaps when I have given you reason to trust me. No point ruining a good evening."

He looked at the clock.

"My god look at the time"

Naoto broke from her upset trance, images of Souji running through her head and the time they spent together. The kisses he placed on her skin and the way he felt with her arms wrapped tightly around him. She could almost feel the folds and bends of the muscles of his back. She looked at the clock. Four am. She sighed and ran her hands along her face looking down at her watch.

"I better get home."

"You can stay here if you like, Naoto. We'll be heading to work at the same time anyway. You could take my bed"

She felt her skin flush red.

"You can take my bed and I'll take the couch."

It was late, it was dark, it was cold, and she had been drinking. She might as well stay here.

"I'll take the couch, Sebastian"

They hadn't been standing in several hours and it felt like a chore to the both of them. Sebastian looked into the kitchen at the pile of dishes and ignored them. He could do them tomorrow after he stopped off at Junes to grab tomorrow night's dinner. Dojima and his daughter tomorrow night and Yosuke and Teddie the night after. He was busy.

Naoto stood from her seat and moved for the couch, flopping back onto it. Sebastian brought her an extra blanket from the bedroom and handed it to her. She took her jacket off, bundling it up for a pillow.

"I'll be in the next room if you need anything, Naoto. The thermostat is…somewhere in here. If it gets cold, just turn it up."

She nodded her head and unfolded the blanket, turning to lie on the couch and pulling the blanket up to her neck and drawing her legs up. She waited until he turned the lights off to remove her hat. She would have to put it back on before he got up tomorrow.

"Detective Chastity?"

He opened the door to his room, but stood in the doorway.

"Shirogane?"

"Why didn't you say anything about me spying on you?"

"Because it would be rude to cause unnecessary confrontation"

"I see. How long did you know?"

"I had a suspicion last night I was being watched. But when I saw you at work this morning you had grass on your jacket. There were a few other small details but the grass on the upper part of your jacket kind of gave it away for me"

She was quiet for a moment.

"I'm sorry"

"No you're not. Good morning, Detective."

He closed the door behind him and she let out a long sigh. She wasn't sorry. She was doing her job. She really needed to work on being honest around him. He could see through her. It made her uneasy and she really needed to work on exactly how to speak to him. From what she had gathered, she needed to be honest with him. Or he would possibly resent her over her lies. And if she wanted to know anything about him…she would just ask… She rolled over onto her other side, staring at the back of the couch. It had been almost 48 hours with this detective. What was tomorrow to bring? Would he really make a difference?

"Good night, Sebastian…"


	13. Chapter 13

"Welcome to the velvet room"

Sebastian opened his eyes slowly to the car he sat in. The velvet room. How long had it been? Three? Four years? He looked down to his own body, running his hands along the deep blue velvet suit he wore and reached up to fix his tie.

"Do not worry, you are fast asleep"

Sebastian's eyed up the man sitting at the far end of the vehicle, hands in crisp gloves folded gently under his long nose. His large eyes peered at Sebastian with a smile from ear to ear. Under any normal circumstances, people would have found the hunched balding man frightening, but Sebastian only found him irritating.

Sebastian smiled as his eyes glanced over to the silver haired woman sitting beside the man, her hands folded neatly on the large purple book in her lap just above the hem of her blue suit.

"Hello again, Margaret"

The woman's golden eyes looked over to him and she tried to suppress a smile but was unable too. She drew her slender hand up to her mouth, covering it until she was able to will it away and returned to her professional manner. He smiled at her a little brighter and he winked.

"So you did miss me"

He leaned forward in his seat to the long bar built into the side of the vehicle and moved to his knees. He squatted down and took several ice cubes from one of the ice buckets and placed them in his glass before popping the top on one of the bottles of amber liquid, pouring it into his glass.

"Igor…"

"Sebastian."

"I would say you have about three minutes before we have trouble. So make it fast…please"

Sebastian fell back into his seat, fixing his tie again and taking a drink of the beverage. He sighed and wanted to pour it out on the seat. It tasted like nothing.

"If this is a dream as you say, then he is already on the move to stop this vehicle. So let's not waste my time. Bullet point what you want to say."

The long nosed man smiled a little wider, though Sebastian thought it impossible.

"You are embarking on something very dangerous, Sebastian"

"Well six are dead. So I would assume it's dangerous"

"You will need help"

"Not from you I won't"

Margaret cleared her throat, interjecting.

"Our help can be very useful"

"I'm sure it can, darling, but I don't want your help. Like every other time, I can handle it"

"Not like this you can't"

"Then I will adapt"

He took another sip of his drink out of habit. Margaret sighed.

"Still as stubborn as ever"

He winked and tipped his drink to her before taking another sip.

"So tell me, Igor, why come to me now? Why not a week ago when I got wind of this case?"

"You asked not to be bothered by us again…"

"And here we are. So I'll say it again, don't bother me. I am not to be some sort of savior, soldier, or pawn. I want to be left alone to work"

"But you want to work with your new partner…"

"**That **is none of your god damn business…"

He tilted his glass and drank the rest of his beverage, setting the glass down on the car bar from whence it came.

"…and so far I have been having a great time with myself. So please…"

"Tomorrow will come with a grave revelation"

"Ooo. I love surprises"

Margaret clenched her hands into fists, her jaw tightening

"Why won't you take this seriously? We're trying to help you"

"The last time you tried to help me I ended up in a hospital bed with my spine almost in two."

"And if you haven't taken our advice you would be dead."

"**That** is yet to be seen. Now if you will excuse me…"

Margaret pushed herself tightly against the back wall and Igor fell forward onto the table in front of him as the car's breaks were hit hard causing the car to lurch forward with its own momentum. It skidded for a few moments before crashing into something on its path. Or rather, something had crashed into it. There was a loud snarl outside the car as well as banging and ripping of metal followed by growls and the thumping of heavy legs.

Sebastian scooted over to the door and bumped his fist against the glass twice before the car door was opened for him. The creature that had stopped the car had opened the door for him. He straightened his tie and ran his hands through his hair before leaning down into the car, staring down its length at the two.

"If I need anything, I'll text you. Until that time, piss off. Drive safely"

He closed the car door, leaving him alone with the creature as the car drove off into the blackness.

"What do you think big guy? Think we should have taken their advice?"

He pulled his cellphone from his pocket and looked in the reflection of the animal's long fangs as it walked up behind him, towering over him. It snarled and snapped its jaws. Sebastian sighed.

"If things get bad I can't imagine the apology they will be looking for."

He slipped his cellphone back into his pocket and hooked his finger along the neckline of his tie, loosening it and opening the top button of his light blue shirt. He hated this suit and was thankful he only had to wear it on the rare occasion.

"Hungry, big guy?"

The animal growled.

"Breakfast it is then. Wake me up"

The beast behind him let out a tremendous roar that shook Sebastian to his core. Pain, anguish and sorrow radiated from the noise it made. Sebastian smiled even though tears began to run down his cheeks and the world came flooding back to him as he leaned up abruptly in bed. He looked around having forgotten where he was before he slumped back down on his sheets and put both his hands over his face. They felt wet. He rubbed his palms under his eyes to wipe away the tears, sniffing the rest back and biting his tongue to replace the emotional pain with physical pain. It worked.

He leaned up in bed and pulled the blankets from him, throwing his legs over the edge of the futon. He enjoyed sleeping naked but he enjoyed wearing a good suit even more. So he pried himself up to stand and stretched. The sun was coming up through the blinds. He checked his watch on the nightstand. 9 Am. He had had a decent night's sleep.

"Thanks for not waking me up"

"It's harder with the detective around"

"Good. Keep them close. Maybe I can return to being normal again."

The voice in his head let out a quiet growl as he made his way to the closet and set out his cloths for the day. Breakfast. He could make it for Naoto as well. Eggs and toast. Or Eggie in the basket. Eggie in the basket sounded nice. He would do dishes when he got home from the autopsy. What a concept: cutting open a body, grocery shopping, and dinner with a co-worker and his family. His day was already planned out for him. He would have to take Thursday to himself when he got his files from his superior back home. His phone buzzed but he ignored it.

He wanted to make a good impression today and had taken out one of his best suits. He slipped on his white shirt and buttoned it up before throwing on his slacks and a pair of black socks. He slipped a blue and silver tie around his neck, pulling it tightly against his throat. He would put on his jacket after breakfast, but in the meantime slipped on his silver watch and his small gold chain around his tie. He tucked his shirt into his slacks.

As he made his way from the bedroom he paused in the doorway, feeling a smile stretch from ear to ear when he saw the detective on the couch, blanket pulled up to their mouth, knees pulled to their chest, and their hair across their cheek and shoulder. He leaned against the wall and took a moment to absorb the image into his head while the voice in his head, quiet and distant, murred, also appreciating the sight.

"Soak it in, big guy."

He stood for a minute, then two, then three until he finally walked to the kitchen, saving the image to memory. He wanted to cook quietly. Nothing was better than being woken up to breakfast being made. He set a pan on high heat and prepared the meal. He sliced four thick slices of the loaf he had bought and took a glass from the cupboard, twisting the cup in the center of the bread to cut a hole in the middle. He pulled the bread disk from the middle of the glass and did the same with the other three slices before dropping them into the pan to let them brown.

When he was done letting them brown, he cracked an egg into the middle of the hole to let the egg cook. He glanced from his spot into the living room where Naoto began to stir. At the sudden panic the detective showed, he turned his back to Naoto as she pulled back her hair into a ponytail and pulled her hat on. He had woken up before her.

She wondered what he had seen and stood up quietly to stretch before making her way to the table.

"Good morning, Naoto"

"Good morning"

"I'll try to keep it quick today so you can get home and shower before you return to your hill tonight."

He turned to look at her. Her shirt was wrinkled and her bow was off center. He should take her to get a better suit in town.

"Who says I'm spying on you tonight?"

"You were thinking about it"

She was quiet for a moment before sighing.

"I was."

"But you know all you need to do is ask"

"I do"

"Hungry?"

"Famished"

"Sit"

He slid two of the slices of bread onto a plate and brought it to her with a knife and fork. She stared down at the dish with a small smile on her face.

"It's very clever, Sebastian"

"Something I saw in a movie when I was a kid. My dad made it once, I think"

"Was he the cook?"

"He was."

He brought her a glass of milk and she nodded her head at him in thanks, her mouth too full to say her thank you. He followed quickly with his plate, sitting on the other side of the table.

"Keep your Saturday open. We're going out on a date"

Naoto felt her face flush again and she choked on a piece of the bread.

"Ex-"

She coughed.

"E-excuse me?"

He leaned forward, showing her he was serious.

"I consider you an extension of me on this case. And personally, I like to keep my public image and public opinion of me rather high. So you and I are going shopping. Get you something nice to wear. Something more expensive. Visual representation is important. Why do you think I wear suits all the time and not a cheap dress shirt and jeans? I look good in a suit. So I want my partner to look good. But keep the hat. I love that thing"

She had misunderstood what he had been referring to and relaxed inside. At the same time…had he just insulted her taste in clothes? Sebastian noticed the realization.

"No"

"No what?"

"I wasn't insulting you"

She sighed but just kept eating.

"I hate it when you do that"

"You'll get used to it. That or you could stop wearing your thoughts on your face so obviously."

After breakfast they walked to work together, talking a little more than the day before about themselves to one another. His time with relatives after his parents passed away, his academic career, his work with his company, and even divulging a little information about his personal alone time playing his violin and the piano at the bar at home.

At the same time, she talked about her work with the Inaba police, the case she worked on two years ago and some of the finer details of the case even though she dodged several key points he would have found ridiculous. She spoke of her grandfather raising her and the little games he would play with her to help her along her way as a detective. They made him laugh. She told him about the gadgets she had made as a child which made him laugh harder. She liked his laugh. He didn't laugh often and normally just smiled his little smile. So it felt good to laugh again.

When the finally arrived at the station he stopped and adjusted his tie and ran his hands down the sleeves of his jacket.

"How do I look?"

"Good"

He ran his hands through his hair making it a little messy before they walked into the station. He wasn't going to hold his breath for a hello from a fellow officer. He led the way this time towards the chief's office.

The man sat there in front of a small stack of paperwork of different colors. Sebastian didn't knock and instead just opened the door. Naoto had the feeling Sebastian didn't like the chief. She had to admit, he was a little difficult for first impressions with strangers. The man looked up to Sebastian and Naoto and stood from his seat.

"Detective Chastity. Detective Shirogane"

Naoto bowed her head.

"Sir"

The man offered his hand to Sebastian who took it, shaking firmly. Sebastian sat down in the chair in front of the man's desk whereas Naoto walked up beside him, her hand resting on the chair. The chief took a moment to look at the two.

"You two look very professional together"

Sebastian looked up to her and she looked away and down, placing her hands behind her back. She was looking down, but Sebastian was below her. She couldn't help but steel a glance at his smiling face and she felt a small smile move across her own.

"What do you have for me, chief?"

"Our man is in the morgue right now waiting for you two, Detective Chastity. Will you need to know the way?"

"I'm sure Detective Shirogane can show me, Sir. What about my other requests?"

The man opened the top drawer to his desk and pulled out a set of keys, sliding them across the table.

"Came in this morning from the town over. One of their men is in the hospital so they had a ghost to spare."

"Is it serious?"

"Broken shoulder. He will be out for a few weeks. Think you can solve the case by then? I would hate to take your transportation from you mid investigation…"

Sebastian smiled at the man.

"Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden, Sir?"

He was quiet for a moment. Naoto watched Sebastian devour the man's facial expressions like a beast, peeling back what he tried to hide layer by layer. No matter how…frightened…the look in Sebastian's eyes was, she wanted to do it too. She wanted to know how to remove someone's barriers through something as simple as an eye twitch. She said nothing.

"Because I want to work with you, Detective…I…I don't…"

Naoto was surprised. The chief knew what Sebastian was doing and understood very quickly there was no need to hide or no way to hide from his man in front of him. He began to trip over his own tongue and Sebastian turned to look at his partner.

"Would you give us a moment, Naoto? Sixty seconds?"

She sighed, not wanting to be cut out of the loop but nodded her head.

"I'll start counting once the door closes…"

Sebastian waited for the door to close behind her before turning his attention back to the man in front of him. He could see the desperation in the man's eyes and felt a string of sympathy being plucked inside of him. This was his job. That look in the man's eyes was why he was here. Although he wasn't wanted, he was happy to know it was where he was needed.

"I don't have anything, Detective"

"I know"

"We need help"

"I know"

"I don't want my town to become some place known for the dead simply appearing"

Sebastian leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs

"I want to help you, Sir. And I intend to. I don't know how much comfort it will bring you, but I want to assure you that I will fix this."

He took a moment to study the man's face

"You haven't slept have you…?"

The man was quiet but looked down to his desk, shaking his head.

"Are you married, sir?"

He nodded his head.

"Two children. Married for five years"

Sebastian smiled a bit. He wanted kids.

"Take the day off, Sir. Go home to your children and wife. Get some sleep and come back tomorrow."

Sebastian stood up, buttoning up the jacket of his suit.

"I'm here to help. So relax. I'll do what I can"

The man smiled up to him in a cheeky grin.

"You aren't all that bad, Detective Chastity"

"I'm terrible, sir"

Sebastian stepped outside the man's office, Naoto turning to him.

"What did you say to him?"

Sebastian looked back into the office to watch his temporary superior slip on his jacket.

"To trust me"

He turned his attention back to Naoto, sniffing the air about her. He spoke as an observation.

"You smell really good this morning"

Naoto looked down and turned from him, leading them both down the halls to the morgue. She didn't know what he was trying to do. If it was to make her uncomfortable, it was working.

She opened the doors to the morgue after buttoning her coat up. He put his hands into his pockets as they entered the room. The younger man of which Naoto had seen before leaned against the wall playing on his cellphone. One of her bodies had been pulled from its case and had been moved earlier in the day onto an examination table. It was of their fifth victim, the young man from London: Donovan Alister. The man looked up from his phone, scanning over Sebastian.

"That is a lovely suit"

"The jacket was $4000. Sebastian Chastity"

"Pleasure"

He shook Sebastian's hand.

"You're lucky, Mr. Chastity, this guy gets shipped out Thursday morning"

"I don't need much time. What can you tell me about him?"

Sebastian pulled the back the sheet, exposing the man's naked body to the room. Naoto looked away from the pale body but felt herself lock onto Sebastian's eyes mid turn. They had that look again. Her want and crave to know how to do it forced her to turn back to the body and force her eyes to work and her mind to follow suit as she tried to do what he was doing. What was he looking for exactly?

"Whoa whoa. Show some respect."

Sebastian looked at the man.

"He is dead, sir. It is not as though he cares what happens to himself now."

The man backed off as Sebastian's eyes moved over his body. He took in the details of his muscles and the way they were formed. Lack of physical exercise and yet strong legs and shoulders. A sport perhaps? He ate more then he burned off and yet retained his normal shape. A game of running and shoulder work. Too old for football or hockey. Basketball. He smiled to himself and turned the man's palms over and spread the man's fingers. Basketball.

"Could I get a few minutes with my Partner?"

The man threw his arms up.

"It's your case"

Sebastian waited for the man to leave before he spoke.

"Well he's easy to get along with."

Sebastian reached over and grabbed Naoto by the arm, pulling her in front of him. He put his hands on Naoto's shoulders. She felt them rise in a slight defense but he gripped them tighter.

"What do you see, Detective"

"What are you-"

"-what do you see?"

Naoto looked back down to the body. Why had Sebastian touched his hands? She looked at the construction of the body.

"He plays sports. But not well."

"How can you tell?"

"Slight deformation of the knees to accept muscle growth. Calluses along the inside of his palms. Thick shoulders."

"Very good. What else can you tell me?"

Sebastian released her shoulders when he felt her lean in.

"We speak for the dead, Shirogane. Touch him"

He moved for the counter and pulled two pairs of rubber gloves from the little white box and handed her a pair. He slipped the other pair on while she slipped her own on. Her hands were a little hesitant as she reached down to touch the man's chest and running her fingers along the body. She felt a crease in the man's muscles and followed it.

"Physical trauma post mortem. The wires he was on"

"Good. But you can already do this. What does he tell you?"

"I don't understand the question"

He smiled and patted her on the back.

"I'll show you"

Sebastian examined the body of the man in front of him, opening his eyelids to the sunken spheres in his head. He ran his fingers along the muscles under his eyes, feeling their tightness in their particular manner. He reached over and grabbed Naoto's hand. She felt herself blush but shook it off. She needed to focus. It was time to work. He pressed her fingers under the man's eyes. Sebastian ran her fingers down the side of the man's face and along his cheek and jawline.

"Feel that?"

She did feel something

"What causes a person's face to make the muscles form like that?"

"…he was afraid"

"So…"

"He was aware of what was happening. It wasn't sudden. It took time…He…suffered"

Sebastian smiled and patted her on the shoulder. She turned to look at him. His face was very close to hers.

"When the time….**if** the time comes, Naoto, I am going to show you a trick that will get you what you want"

She couldn't look at him from this close, but she did respond without hesitation or stammer

"What do I want?"

"To see what I see…"

She bit the inside of her lower lip as he pulled himself from her and went to the door, knocking on it to signal to the coroner that he was wanted. The man returned and moved for the body after he put on a set of gloves.

"If you have a problem with this, Naoto, then turn away. Otherwise watch"

Naoto moved up alongside Sebastian. She was going to watch. She wanted to know his trick. Perhaps if he trusted her a little more he would show her.

The coroner set out his instruments and picked up his scalpel.

"Where do you want it?"

"Cut him down the middle. Open his skin up"

The coroner took a moment to assure the look on Sebastian's face before running the blade down the center of the man's body, opening his chest and stomach to expose ribs and muscle and intestines. Naoto bit her tongue hard enough to taste copper to prevent herself from gagging or turning away. Sebastian glanced to her before looking back at the body.

"Open him up"

"He's open"

"Pull the skin back"

"Excuse me?"

"I want you to pull his skin back. I want to see between the layers of his skin"

"Why?"

"I have a theory"

"Which is?"

"None of your business"

The man sighed angrily

"Look, If I-"

"-your job is to do as I tell you"

There was a moment of hostility between the two men that dragged on for a moment before Sebastian took the floor again.

"Pull the skin back or I will. And then I will have you removed…"

The man's jaw clenched and unclenched several times before he did as he was instructed. Sebastian watched as he fillet the man, separating the two halves of his skin and folding them open like a butterfly. Naoto had to turn away. She wasn't ready for this. Sebastian cleared his throat and looked up to the man.

"Thank you for your assistance. That will be all"

"I need to stitch him back up"

"And I will come to you when I need you to stitch him back up. Until then would you mind waiting outside?"

The coroner wasn't going to miss an opportunity to get away from this man as he pulled off his gloves and threw them into the trash. When he pushed the door open, it flew outward and banged into the wall as he pushed past.

Sebastian looked down at the skin and leaned in close, examining it, the meat almost touching his nose. He sniffed at it several times. Naoto kept her back turned as she spoke, not wanting to look at the man again as she cursed her memory and tried to erase the image in her head.

"What are you looking for?"

"Get my a UV light, detective"

"What are you-"

"Now, Shirogane"

She took a quick glance around. This was an area used by the coroners to examine a body. There had to be a tube around her somewhere. She found one under a shelf in the corner of the room and brought it back to Sebastian. He flicked it on and the bulb began to hum. He was hesitating. She looked at his face and did her best to figure out what he was thinking. The way his jaw shifted forward and he bit down on his tongue. The way his eyes stared at the exposed flesh, the tightness in his other hand. He wanted to be proven wrong. But what was his theory?

Sebastian took a deep breath and spoke quietly as he raised his arm up to cast the light over the body.

"Please please please please"

The light turned up nothing out of the ordinary. No discoloration or vibrant colors. Sebastian's arm dropped to his side as he breathed a sigh of relief and let out a small chuckle, rubbing the upper section of his nose as he laughed. Naoto didn't get it but she assumed his theory had been proven wrong.

"Well that's a relief"

"What?"

"Doesn't matter now. I was wrong"

The voice in his head let out a growl. The first noise it had made while being this close to Naoto and whatever rested on her shoulder.

"The neckline"

"What?"

Naoto stared confused at Sebastian

"What do you mean 'what?'?"

He shushed her and took a step away from her, talking to himself

"What did you say?"

The voice responded in kind.

"Check the neckline"

Sebastian turned back to the body and handed the light to Naoto before picking up the scalpel. Sebastian was not a surgeon or a coroner, but he would have to do the best he could as he cut the man's skin from the base of the neck about three inches down and tried to follow what the coroner had done by filleting the skin.

Then he saw it. The discoloration between the layers of skin.

"Keep the light on it, Naoto"

His voice was cold, almost angry as he worked, slowly shaving off layers of skin to get to his prize and proving the theory he had correct. He stood back to look at it when he was done butchering the body in front of him. Along the neckline of the man were two large dark purple circles. Bite marks. He felt his lips pull back to expose his teeth as a growl escaped his lips. He pulled his gloves off and tossed them into the bin. He needed air.

"Damn it"

Naoto stood quietly as he hurriedly left the room, drawing his cellphone from his picket and began punching in numbers. He wouldn't get any reception down here. She on the other hand stood and looked over the marks, reaching out to touch them. The skin was soft for this long into rigor mortis. The circles were large, almost the size of a thinner water bottle. How had he known where to look? Who had he been talking to? He knew something.

She set the light down and followed quickly after him. She found him in the parking lot on his cellphone, pacing back and forth. She wanted answers from him. He knew something she didn't.

"…yes I'm sure. I could smell it in his skin"

….

"It's going to keep happening then and I can't do anything about it unless you let me off my leash."

….

"There's blood in the water now…"

…

"I..."

…

"I understand, Sir. I'll take the necessary precautions."

…

"Thank you, Sir. I'll report back to you in a few days when I figure out more. But I need those files by tomorrow. It's only a matter of time now."

…

"Ok…ok…ok…ok. Keep in touch. Text me any updates. I have people coming for dinner tonight"

…

"Talk to you soon"

Naoto approached him, hands in her pockets. He slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"Would you mind getting me up to speed, Sebastian?"

"I would actually, Detective"

"Excuse me?"

"I can't use you for this case anymore. I'm sorry"

Cold ran through her body and caused her face and the back of her head to tingle.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I can't have you on this case with me anymore. I'll talk to your supervisor. Make sure you are compensated for your work with me."

She felt her stomach sink and her hands clench to fists. Her jaw clenched and she spoke from her teeth.

"I don't want compensation. I want to help"

"You can't help with this, Detective"

"I can help! I want to help!"

He was quiet for a moment as he looked at her. She almost shook with anger at the thought of being taken off this case. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes and she fought them back. This wasn't fair.

"I don't want my town to become a graveyard. I want to help stop this."

He approached her, tilting her head back and her hat to look into her eyes.

"You have a passion, Naoto. I envy this passion of yours. You want to fight and protect what's yours. I respect it."

"I'm not some child. I'm your partner"

"Were my partner…"

She leaned her head down when she felt her lip begin to tremble

"…tell me what you're hiding from me, Sebastian…"

He leaned closer to her and she looked up to him, his face close enough she could feel his breath against her skin. He had pretty eyes. His words sent a shock of fear through her body that smothered her anger and she felt her body stiffen. It replaced her anger with a feeling of fear she had been worried about since she first discovered his talent.

"You first…"

Her mouth opened but no words came out, just small noises indicating her desire to speak, but her fear held them back. She couldn't tell him. Couldn't tell him of her power. Couldn't tell him of her knowledge of the shadow world. She couldn't tell him about her persona or that she knew how the bodies got from one place to another and what beings put them there.

Her body shook with a fear and anger mixed twister. If she didn't tell him then she was out. If she did tell him he wouldn't believe her. She was stuck. She couldn't do anything. She felt one of her tears break lose and she brought her head down, the rim of her hat covering her eyes.

If he wasn't going to say anything, neither would she. His hand drew under her chin to raised it up and used his thumb to wipe her tear away. But there was no sympathy in those eyes of his. There was no smile. They were empty and void of emotion.

"When you are ready to come clean, text me. But If I feel that you are lying to me…I will shut you out. I will shut everyone out and abandon this case for myself."

He drew his hand back and turned his back on her, heading into the parking lot to find his ghost car.


	14. Chapter 14

And so time passed…

Sebastian never had his dinner with Dojima or his daughter. He never had his dinner with Teddie or Yosuke. He never went on his date with her to get a new uniform. He hadn't said a word or had left his house in three weeks and wasn't responding to any of her phone calls. He was true to his word and shut her out from the case.

The first place Sebastian had gone, after the realization of his, was home. He had drawn the blinds on the living room and bedrooms, secluding himself in the house. Naoto however had gone against his wishes and continued to spy on him. After the first week of nothing she was convinced he would slip up. After the second week she began to doubt that concept. And finally on the third week she had all but given up on trying to learn anything from outside the house.

She had knocked and banged on the door. She had screamed until she had lost her voice and struck the door enough times that the first aid attendant at work had believed she was going to break her fingers if she did it again. But even with her efforts, he wasn't going to show himself or let her in. She was out.

She had tried to get the chief to force Sebastian's hand. Why wouldn't that work? He was, after all, helping the police force to solve the case. **He** was an outsider where **she** was a resident. They were both detectives. Surely the chief could force Sebastian to explain what he was doing. But the man was being held back by his superiors.

Sebastian had known she would go to her superior the first chance she got, so he had gone three heads above him and convinced 'shadowy figure A' to let him be. With her superior, the only person she could go to, being held back, she was alone on this. She had lost.

Sebastian had left the house twice in the last three weeks and had been back shortly thereafter. He had food delivered to his house so he wouldn't be gone for a prolonged period of time. At one point, she was certain he watched her in return when he had come back with a large folder of documents that were no doubt the working records of the six victims they had previously. She wasn't expecting to get a copy.

It was getting colder outside as autumn was beginning to slowly turn to winter. November was getting to be a colder month it seemed. Her mood seemed to be following the season. But she would remain vigilant and pulled the blanket tighter around her as she sat on the hill. Twice in the last three weeks she had been sitting there and he had come to the window to see if she was still there: Once two weeks ago, and once two days ago. He was stubborn. But she could be stubborn too.

However, the only thing wearing more thinly than her vigilance and stubbornness was her patience. If there was time for anything up here on the hill, it was time to think. Time to weigh the pros and cons and what he had offered her. If she opened up to him, if she was honest with him about what she knew, then she would be let in. She would be allowed back onto the case to save her town from this…problem. But was it worth the cost? Would he even believe her?

She felt her teeth start to chatter and she wrapped her arms more tightly around her body. It was only by the grace of some divine protection that she wasn't catching a cold, or worse pneumonia, up here. Was she really going to give in to his demands? She remembered their conversation perfectly.

'You first.'

"Me first…"

If she told him everything, he would tell her what he knew. Or at least bring her back into the loop. And she couldn't be out for much longer. He had been wearing her down slowly over the last few weeks. She was strong, but he had all the cards and had taken all hers away. She couldn't do this. Or was this part of his plan? To wear her down. He was always three steps ahead of her. She dropped her head into her hands, pulling at her hair in frustration. Was he expecting her to give in or not at all? Was she overthinking this or not thinking about it enough? She felt she could scream. How could one person do this to her? To make her go this insane enough to question her own thoughts of motives not to be pulled by the strings of another was unbearable.

"Ok…you win"

She stood from her spot, letting the blanket fall from her shoulders and onto the cold damp grass below the cloudy sky. She could feel it starting to rain. She pulled her cellphone from her pocket, sending him a text.

'I will tell you. Will you let me in? Y/N'

She waited as the rain came down, spattering against her cell phone's screen causing the light spectrum of raindrops on the screen of her phone to overtake the images of her several dozen text messages. For a moment her mind completely left the current situation and she wondered how high her cellphone bill for this month was going to be. She was only allowed several text messages a month and she had burned through nearly 200 of them in the last week alone trying to get a response from the recluse.

A minute passed then two, and then five. Nothing in return. Did she have to break down the damn door? Did she have to sing it for him? He won. She would tell him. She felt her knuckles and jaw hurt too late and tried to relax them both from breaking her cellphone and possibly breaking her teeth.

"Answer me, damn it…"

There was nothing. She couldn't stay here. It was starting to rain and she needed to get home before the roads became too slippery for her to travel on them. Defeated and angry, she put her cellphone back into her pocket and trekked down the hill with the blanket, throwing it on the patio behind the house to keep it from the rain. She would be back. She would always be back for this.

She felt the device vibrate against her leg and pulled it from her pocket. Was he playing games again?

'It's cold outside. Hot chocolate? Y/N'

She turned when she heard the door to the house open and Sebastian showed himself, leaning his body against the doorway. He wore a black vest on top of a white dress shirt with his black slacks on. Even when home alone for three weeks he still found it necessary to dress up. She locked eyes with him as she approached. There was no point trying to hide anything from him. Anything she tried to hide he would figure out for himself or call her out on. 'Be honest' she kept telling herself.

When she approached to walk into the house he held his hand out, pressing against her chest. She looked up to him and into those green eyes of his. She couldn't help but feel that they were sizing each other up at the moment. Had he changed his mind and was now denying her admittance?

"Are you going to be honest with me, Naoto?"

"I am willing to be if you are willing to share the information you have"

"That sounds fair…"

He stepped out of her way so she could walk in. she heard the kettle click in the kitchen.

"Hot chocolate or Tea?"

She was in a bitter mood as she sat down to pull her boots off.

"Hot chocolate please…"

It was a tense moment between the two of them. Perhaps something sweet would help them both to relax.

As Naoto made her way into the kitchen from the foyer, she moved slowly, taking in the web of red thread he had stretched out now in the family room. It covered most of the room and traveled up the stairs into his central web room and partly into the kitchen. Thin strands of red and black and green entwined themselves around objects all pinned to a piece of information along the walls. He had been hard at work.

"I see you have expanded your information, Sebastian"

"Well the work records were well worth the money. Thanks to them I believe I have motive for the murders and suspects to point to"

She was impressed and almost impatient as she blurted out.

"What do you know?!"

He brought the two cups of hot chocolate to the table and set one down in her seat and one for himself. He sat down at his end of the table and folded his hands neatly on the wood. She took her place on the other side, slumping back in her chair.

She looked down at her cup, thick rich hot chocolate steamed from her cup, little mini white marshmallows bobbed within her drink. She looked across to his seeing none. She liked marshmallows. How he knew what she was thinking based on her facial expressions was one thing, but her likes and dislikes? She really wanted to hear about that trick of his.

"Go on Shirogane, you first."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, slowly exhaling.

"Please listen to all I have to say before speaking…"

He nodded his head and took a sip of his drink. She simply stared down into hers.

"This case is not a new occurrence to me or to the police of this town. Two years ago bodies were showing up hanging from the same electrical objects as now. Nowhere near as many in such a short amount of time mind you. Through several different methods, the Inaba police and I were able to determine the murderer as another of the Inaba police and he was arrested for the crimes after three found dead. A copycat murder was performed at the same time which caused the third victim. It took us the better part of a year to solve the case and find the murderer…"

She was silent for a moment and looked up to him. He was almost looking bored with the story. But she knew why already.

"…but that's the official story"

His bored expression slowly began to fade as his smile returned. He was enjoying this.

"The official story paints me as the one who solved the case in order to hide the identities of those that helped me in my endeavors."

She looked back down. She couldn't imagine how stupid this story was going to sound to him.

"There were eight of us on that team. The investigation team consisted of myself, Teddie and Yosuke, a man working down at the textile shop in the shopping district, a woman currently working with the Inaba police on patrol, the Idol Rise kujikawa, the future owner of the Amagi inn…"

She was quiet for a moment and looked up to him. His expression had changed back to serious and she caved internally.

"…and detective Dojima's Nephew."

She watched as his small smile returned and he got that look in his eye. He had just devoured a key piece of information from her and the answer to a question long since asked at this same table three weeks ago. But rather than dwell on it, she pressed on, feeling her own words turn sour and she pulled her hat down over her eyes.

"We met each other over the course of a year and developed a relationship with one another. We all wanted this case to be over. Some of us…"

She remembered Yosuke.

"…lost someone we cared for. And others almost did."

He stood from his seat, walking off into the living room to the center of his web, looking about at the information, trying to piece what she was telling him into the current case. She followed after him making sure not to touch any of the strings as she moved. She leaned back against the wall beside the TV, untouched and developing a layer of dust.

"The case was abnormal in the fact that, much like now, there was no cause of death and the bodies were displayed in public at impossible places for a body to be without some sort of equipment or special help from another. No one ever saw anything and anyone that did either wound up dead or kidnapped."

Here it came…

"But many of us in the group had been kidnapped by a single individual believed to be the murderer and placed somewhere no one would ever look or believe…"

She placed her hand on the top of the television.

"In here"

Now he looked interested. Like a child ready to open a present but having the self-control not to leap out of his own skin at the excitement. But at the same time, something in his eyes made her feel exactly how she thought she would. Like he thought she was making it up. But it didn't matter. She had made a commitment.

"He would kidnap up and place us inside the television. Whenever someone ended up on a certain program that came on at a certain time of night during a foggy evening, that person was to be kidnapped, placed into the television, and killed by its denizens."

His smile was replaced with a small coy one as he crossed his arms, still listening.

"After two false accusations against two separate individuals, we tracked down the true culprit in this world and took him into custody after an altercation."

She hadn't been sleeping well and rubbed the spot between her eyes.

"And that's what I believe is happening now. Someone is putting these people into the television and letting its denizens kill them at which time they end up back in our world."

Sebastian said nothing, simply stood there. Naoto watched him closely, but could see no change in his facial expression or the way he held himself. Slowly after a moment, his smile disappeared. What she was expecting was some sort of shock or joke to be made. Of perhaps an insult. What she wasn't expecting was,

"Is that all?"

"I..I don't know what else to say…"

He approached her slowly, arms still crossed across his vest.

"I said that I wanted to know what you were hiding from me. Is that all you have to offer?"

Her mouth opened but she froze up again, not knowing what he wanted to hear. It was his turn to speak, but his words cut her deep.

"Leave this place, Naoto. Don't bother me again until you are willing to be honest with me. Don't ever come to me thinking i'm stupid"

Something inside of her slipped which caused everything else to tumble away. It had been so long since it had been this bad, but her fuse was now lit and that other side of her reached out when she got close enough and she struck him. Hard. Her fist stung and the bones felt like they had broken when it connected with the corner of his cheek. She had thrown her entire body into the punch but he didn't go down. It felt good. It felt good to hit him after these three weeks of silence. But what didn't feel good was the retaliation as his fist drove itself into her stomach.

The strike had been fast. The strike had been strong. It had been precise. Naoto had never been punch in the stomach before but she had often seen it in movies and whenever they were hit, they always collapsed. Now she knew why. She couldn't breathe and the air had been struck from her lungs. She felt her legs get weak and he caught her with his other arm, slowly sinking to the floor with her as she collapsed against him.

She felt herself convulse against him, her body zapped of energy and she fell against him, head resting against his shoulder as she tried and struggled to take a breath. Eventually it came to her and she took a deep breath, coughing several times. He held her tightly until he could feel her getting her strength back and let her go, standing back up. She fell onto her hands, coughing. She couldn't breathe with these chest bindings on. But she had no means to remove them. She couldn't remove them.

He turned his back to her, moving closer to the corner of the room and running his hand along the spot she had hit. No doubt it would cause a nice bruise. It ached. She had slugged him on the corner of his right cheekbone below his eye. Ice sounded appropriate.

"Foolish child…"

It slipped inside her again and she forced herself to her feet, taking a quick moment to gather her strength. Tears welled up in her eyes as she bit her lip, her hands shaking and forming into fists. Child was she?

When he turned to look at her, he felt his head snap to the side again with another right hook into the same spot and he felt himself stumble back with the force of the strike. In a moment of pain and panic, his mind raced. Perhaps he had hit a button that he should not have hit inside of her with that last remark as she charged him and rushed her shoulder into his stomach. Wrapping her arms around him tightly, she pushed hard off the ground and off his feet. But he was a little more top heavy than she had anticipated and he fell backwards, reaching out to grab onto her jacket and the rim of her slacks as they fell…

…Into the television.

Sebastian must have blacked out for a minute when he hit the floor. Slowly he rolled onto his back and the pain shot up his stomach, his hands reaching down to clutch his right leg at his hip. He let out a groan, gripping the spot tightly.

Naoto slowly opened her eyes to a red and black sky and felt herself sigh. She knew where she was. On the one hand, perhaps now he would believe her story. On the other hand…she knew where they were and what that meant. She heard him groaning and slowly rolled onto her hands and knees.

"Sebastian, are you alright?"

"No"

"What's wrong?"

"I think I fell on my keys"

She smiled to herself and slowly pulled herself up to stand. Sebastian eventually found the strength to roll over onto his knees and sat down on his heels. Naoto offered her hand to help pick him up and he pulled himself to his feet with her help.

"Thanks…"

He tried to smile but held himself back, his face hurting when he did. He reached up to touch where she had struck him both times. It was very tender to the touch.

"You have a really good right hook, Naoto. Really good aim"

"All good detectives know how to fight"

He went to smile but stopped again, cupping his hand on his face and letting out a small grunt. This bruise was going to be beautiful.

"I need some ice for this"

"I'm sure you will be fine without for a time"

Sebastian closed the eye above his bruise and took a moment to take in his surroundings. They were in a playground. Slide, swings, monkey bars, tire swing, clubhouse. There were no trees to be seen as he looked around. No children. The sky was a wave of red and black that continuously cascaded and warped the ever changing sky. The ground was grey and black. He felt a growl escape his throat but he suppressed it as soon as it left his lips. No children, no adults. No birds or dogs or…life. Just the two of them.

"So…this is what the other side of your televisions looks like…"

"I wasn't making up a story or lying to you, Sebastian. My friends and I really did those things."

He was quiet for a moment before turning to her. His cheek was starting to swell and puff out, his skin beginning to discolor to a purple and yellow.

"I never said you were lying, Naoto. I said you weren't telling me the whole truth."

"What truth?"

"That-"

Sebastian froze when he heard the cracking noise coming from the small wooden clubhouse. He turned towards the structure and the silver doors began to pulse and ripple as a sludgy black liquid began to pour from between the doors and onto the floor. Whatever was inside, there was lots of it and it wanted out.

The doors to the clubhouse burst open and off their hinges, flying to either side of the playground. Sebastian dug his heels into the grey sand beneath his feet, unsure of his next move. From the clubhouse, two large white eyes appeared from the blackness, blinking several times as it looked at him. Sebastian felt his heart skip a beat as the beasts black lips pulled back to expose large flat teeth in a cruel smile. Its mouth opened as a white and black striped tongue protruded from its mouth. Its body was made of black sludgy arms. Hundreds of them as they reached and clawed to get at Sebastian. They flapped against the ground, attempting to drag the hulking body towards him as it let out a screech followed by chatter as its teeth knocked against themselves over and over again.

Sebastian stood mesmerized by the monster as it thrashed about trying to get at him, slowly dragging its large body towards him, black viscous material sliding off its body like tar onto the ground like a snail as it pulled itself on its hundreds of thin arms, the hands sinking into the grey sand as they moved, almost rolling off one another.

"Get down!"

Sebastian snapped out of his stupor and turned his head to Naoto's gun being pointed at him. He dropped to the ground and Naoto fired three shots from her gun into the beast's eyes. The orbs popped and drained onto the animals face as the bullets tore into its tar like flesh. Sebastian had expected the detective to shoot the eyes. What he hadn't expected was the accompanying explosions in the beasts head as the bullets burst in a cloud of fire. He turned to look at her.

"Explosive bullets?!"

"I can be clever too, Detective Chastity"

He smiled through the pain and Naoto pushed three more bullets into the chamber of her revolver, making sure they had been colored blue at the top. Sebastian turned back to the thrashing beast who continued to crawl blindly, following the sound of their voices.

"Hit it again. Burry deeper"

Naoto rushed to Sebastian's side and fired two more shots. She made a mental note. Three bullets of blue tip left in the chamber. The animal she hit cried out in pain and felt its body shudder and its arms slow as they felt heavy to the beast. Its long tongue flailed about in its mouth. Naoto smiled to herself. It had been too long since she had been in a fight and it felt good to be winning. She approached the beast and pulled back on the hammer of her revolver, aiming deep inside the beasts head, and pulled the trigger. She twisted her wrist to absorb the recoil of the powerful round as it shredded the beast's body and ripped clean through its husk before it stopped moving entirely, its voice becoming a quiet whine before succumbing to death.

She waited to make sure it really was dead before letting her revolver fall to her side. As she turned back to Sebastian she slid three more bullets into the chambers. Two with orange tips and one with blue.

"What kind of round was that one?"

She looked up to Sebastian.

"Pardon me?"

"The bullet you just fired. Not exactly standard issue…"

"Scatter shot"

"And you just…walk around with these things in your pocket…"

"A good detective must always be prepared for the worst kind of situation"

He smiled a little through the pain in his face.

"You're taking stabs at me, aren't you?"

She smiled back a bit with a shrug and holstered her revolver at her side from whence it came. Sebastian eyed up the body of the beast in front of him, taking in the little details before he took in the bigger ones.

"Were those are the denizens you were talking about"

"They are…"

Sebastian felt his ears twitch when he heard the chatter of teeth again. The small black hands gripped onto the edges of the door of the building before another of the same beasts came crawling through the clubhouse. She drew her gun again and pulled back the hammer. But then it came again and louder as two began to crawl from the grey sand of the playground beside the swing set and begin their crawl. Naoto knew she didn't have enough bullets to kill three of them. But he felt her gun fall to her side when two more came from the tire swing behind them and one from the slides came shambling over the metal, it creaking and twisting under the beast's weight. She knew that she couldn't win like this and drastic times called for drastic measures.

"So detective, what was that about a good detective is always prepared for the worst situation?"

She smiled and raised her gun up, aiming almost at the sky.

"They are always prepared"

She felt a small smile form on her lips as she spoke those words she had longed to speak again. And when she spoke them, the warmth of the blue light surrounding her filled her with a warmth and happiness she had missed for two whole years.

"Per…so…na!"

The Wheel of Fortune card…her card. It's white and yellow filled her with joy to see again as it twisted up from the light about her, hovering stationary in the air before her, a blast of air rushing from an unseen point causing her cloths to flutter. She aimed her gun at the card and pulled the trigger of her revolver. As the bullet left her gun in a stream of blue, the bullet shattered the card like glass or fine crystal, the pieces scattering to the wind and disappearing.

Sebastian could only smile as the figure above Naoto came into focus. The creature's uniform was pristine and white with gold buckles along the chest and stomach. Black leather boots and gloves stretch to the knee and elbow of the almost military figure before him. At its side rested a long blade, hidden inside its white sheath with a gold trim. The long white wings attached to the back of its gloves were connected to its back like a cape to its uniform. Its navy blue leggings reminded him of a civil war uniform. But what he enjoyed the most, was the white helmet the being wore. Pointed at the nose and drawn back to a point at the back of its head, the being looked about for a moment through a black screen which obscured its face.

Naoto turned to look at Sebastian who had a different kind of smile on his face as he devoured the information and form of this new creature. For just a moment, the creature turned to look at Sebastian, ignoring the monsters which were closing in on them. Sebastian could only be honest with it as it acknowledged his existence.

"You're beautiful…"

The creature turned its attention back to the monsters about them and wrapped its gloved fingers around the red grip of its blade, drawing the shining steel from its scabbard. Naoto turned her attention back to her persona.

"Yamato-Takeru…"

She turned her attention to the shadows while the soldier turned its attention to Naoto.

"Let's get some exercise…"

The soldier drew it's blade in front of its face as a small salute and dashed off into one of the creatures. Its many arms reached out to grab at the soldier but were too slow to match its foe's speed. It paid for that dearly as the blade the persona carried cut through the blackness of the monster and cleaved it nearly in two.

Sebastian felt a stir inside of him as he watched the soldier dance on the field, slicing through its foes. It could have conducted a symphony orchestra with that sword. Sebastian felt something move inside of him and he swallowed hard to keep himself from falling down. He spoke quietly to himself and the monster inside him.

"So…that's what you felt at the train terminal"

There was a quiet growl in his ears and he turned to see one of the beasts close to him. Its many arms reached for him but he dashed backward and used his push back to roll off his sitting position, off his shoulder, and onto all fours. His vest was going to get dirty.

Naoto fired three of her blue bullets into the monster that came after Sebastian, the beast howled and clutched at the holes she blew into it, large chunks of tar like flesh bursting off its body and smoking against the ground as it landed with a splot against the sand. The creature did not falter however and instead turned to Naoto, spitting up white ichor and spitting it towards her. She rolled out of the way and fired again, the orange bullet in the chamber blowing a large hole on the beasts face. But it still came at her.

The soldier, sensing its counterpart's danger, dashed through the air upon its white cape wings and cleaved the monster along its jaw line, cutting its head open just above the lower jaw. The head slid from the body and the tongue wriggled about before it lay still against the sand.

Naoto fumbled in her pocket for a few more bullets and pulled out one more orange, two more blue, and one regular bullet. She cursed quietly to herself. She hadn't expected this much of a fight. Naoto slid the bullets into their chambers and spun her cylinder before pulling back on the hammer and firing a blue tip onto another beast which was approaching them. They were getting faster.

Another of the creatures pulled itself up from the grey sand followed by another by the monkey bars. Too many. There were too many of them. Naoto fell forward onto her hands as Sebastian tackled her from the back. He let out a groan as the white blob of ichor struck him in the back and splattered along his vest. Once he landed on top of her, he climbed off and struggled to get the vest off, tossing it aside as the material bubbled and disintegrated what it had touched.

"Sebastian! Are you alright?"

He stood back up, pain obvious in his face. It had struck his scar.

"I liked that vest, damn it"

Naoto stood back up but fell to her knee with a small cry as her persona's arm was struck by one of the tar creature's black arms. Naoto clutched her arm tightly and her persona dashed backwards to get distance between her and one of the creatures but was struck in the back by a large blob of the white ichor. It let out a shrilled scream inside it's helmet and Naoto screamed as her back arched and she fell onto her stomach, trying to get herself back up as her Persona fell from the sky, landing beside the two of them, rolling around against the sand to try and get the goo off.

Naoto looked up to Sebastian who rushed to her aid, helping her so she could sit.

"Sebastian…"

She swallowed her pride and was honest with him. It wasn't as though she was going to get a second chance.

"I'm sorry I got you into this. I'm sure with time…"

She felt herself smile a bit.

"…we would have been great friends."

Sebastian slowly stood from her and pulled at his tie, loosening it from his neck.

"I'm sorry I wasn't completely honest with you either Naoto."

He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and dropped to one knee, planting his hands on the ground, gripping the cold sand tightly in his fingers.

"Get out here…"

The monsters howled as they approached, clutching at the sand, the mouths running freely with saliva as they hungered for their next feed.

"If you don't we all die…and you'll never get to say what you feel!"

"Sebastian…"

He screamed out at the top of his lungs like a maniac.

"Volf!"

Sebastian screamed as his body began to burn from the inside. But though he was screaming, he had a smile on from ear to ear that Naoto would never forget. A smile of joy and excitement. Perhaps even pleasure as he felt as though he was losing himself. The screams turned into howls and tears began to run down his face. The shadows let out a quiet howl, sensing what was amiss. Naoto noticed the brief pause in their destruction before it became time for her to be caught in the awe of the event. There was no blue light but a red light that formed around Sebastian. The translucent light drifted off Sebastian's body in his shape but began to shift and twist to accommodate a much larger being as it began to form above his body. Sebastian's voice no longer came as a man but an animal as he clutched and scraped at the sand as the light began to develop a form.

Powerful thick legs stomped down into the sand on either side of Sebastian. Black claws formed from around the grey paws that acted as the beasts legs. Its lower body was covered in a blue shredded cloth which only exposed more of the thick muscle beneath the material. The upper body of the animal was exposed showing off its immaculate physique and its abdominal muscles. The biped was still forming before them. And when it was formed, Naoto could only revel in what she could only assume was Sebastian's pain, anger, and perhaps sorrow, as a physically manifested being.

The large wolf before her stood on thick hind legs. It's thick chest and arms were covered in scars thick and thin. Its long teeth came down over its lips making it look more demon like in its face than wolf. The werewolf carried a large white blade at its side in a simple black sheath. Its grey fur stood on end as it growled at the shadows around it. Its yellow eyes peered about to Naoto, then to her persona lying on the ground.

Sebastian started to laugh and reached up to draw his hand under his nose as it began to bleed. The laugh made Naoto forget all about the shadows and she felt a chill run up her spine. Sebastian looked up to the animal and patted him on the side of the leg. The animal drew the blade from its sheath and planted it into the sand before cracking its knuckles loudly. It was smiling.

"Volf…"

The animal growled awaiting instructions.

"…kill"


	15. Chapter 15

Sebastian slowly pulled himself to his feet, his arm drawn under his nose to stop the blood from touching his nice shirt. His other hand's palm was pressed hard against his right eye. It hurt terribly. But he could only laugh as the animal that came from him tore off on all fours. Claws digging into the sand, as it charged into battle, its fur began to light up with a soft blue illumination that ran across its entire body as it's veins began to glow and the air around it became electrified and thick with energy. It threw its shoulder into one of the large beasts, knocking it over and back with a small boom of lightning from its shoulder. As soon as the monster hit the ground, Sebastian's beast drove its clawed hands into the beast's mouth, gripping hard and pulling its thick black and white tongue from its body, the white light of electricity cascading down the beast's shoulders and into the monster's mouth. The animal threw the monster's tongue away and let out a vicious roar as it drove its powerful leg into the shadows mouth and gripped onto its upper jaw, ripping the beast's mouth open and tearing its upper mandible off.

With fluent movement, the animal leapt from one of the shadows onto another, viciously tearing at its tar flesh, the hands grasping at the beast though it's powerful arms and legs ignored the grasps and tore great hunks of flesh off with its sharp glowing claws. Cutting deeper and deeper, the animal's blood frenzy was unleashed as its clawed hands thrust through one of the creature's midsection and stepped through it with a sickening ripping noise which caused the monster's body to be cleft in twain, rushing through the sand to another.

Naoto was speechless as she watched the large electrified werewolf tear through the shadows with its powerful arms in its blood rage. But her eyes shifted to Sebastian who stood on shaking legs, laughing and screaming as his wolf killed the beasts around them.

"Kill them! Kill them all!"

The wolf roared out again and drove its claws into one of the shadows mid charge and ripped the beast in two, never halting to slowing down as it brutally eviscerated the large mouthed beasts. Naoto's persona stirred and shook its head to clear whatever clouds it had in its head to look up at the large beast as it cleaved the face off of one of the shadows. If there was a face behind that helmet, Naoto couldn't imagine its expression as it watched. Naoto was accustom to fighting shadows. She had killed her fair share. But killing a shadow with lightning or fire or ice attacks from her or her friend's persona was one thing. This wasn't a fight. This was a massacre.

Sebastian let out a scream which was drowned out from the wolf's howl as it leaned its large head back and threw its arms out in a theatrical motion as though it was howling at the moon. Large arcs of electricity cascaded off the beast and between its fingers and legs. The wolf was covered in the black blood of the shadows it had killed. She wasn't accustom to seeing that either. Normally killing shadows had been a clean…almost sanitary act. But this animal seemed to be reveling in the blood soaked victory it had just achieved.

Naoto felt fear for this animal and took a step back. Unfortunately for her, her persona felt the fear and forced itself to its feet. Its white caped wings fluttered open, and clutching its sword, it dashed towards the wolf with an almost blinding speed as it flew through the air.

Naoto wasn't quick enough to utter a word as her persona attacked and twisted its body to cleave the animal. But the wolf's ears twitched and it spun on its heels, catching the persona in its powerful arms. One clawed hand gripped the soldier's throat, the other the wrist which carried the blade. Small streams of electricity ran along the beast's hands and against her persona, lapping against the leather of its gloves and glass of its faceplate. It Snarled at it. The soldier looked into the beasts eyes, noticing even the veins in its eyes seemed to light up with the energy it wielded. Sebastian screamed.

"Stop!"

The animal snarled at the soldier in its blood rage, but upon hearing Sebastian's voice felt the fog lift inside its head as it realized what it was doing. Its erratic breathing began to slow as it looked into the helmet of the soldier at whatever face was inside, the glowing beginning to dim and disappear. The soldier kicked at the wolf's chest to no avail. It was built for speed and not for power.

"Volf…"

The werewolf looked at its claws and along its arms. Naoto noticed the almost apologetic look in its eyes as it slowly lowered the soldier to the ground, its leather boots sinking into the grey sand. Sebastian took a few steps towards them.

"Let her go, Volf…"

The wolf had a look of embarrassment and apology as it slowly released the soldier's throat and wrist.

"It's alright Volf. Good boy"

Sebastian, hand still pressed tightly to his right eye, watched as the two beings eyed each other up. The soldier looked up at the beast unwavering and took a moment to look about the beast's body. It reached out with a leather glove and pressed it to the beast's chest. Volf's tail flipped a few times happily through the animal didn't show it on its face. The soldier took a step closer to the beast and reached a gloved hand up to touch the side of its face. Volf turned its head away from the touch with a growl but the soldier persisted and placed a hand at the side of its muzzle and ran it along its demon teeth. Volf turned back to look down into the visor of the soldier. She embraced him, hugging the wolf tightly. It was showing appreciation.

Sebastian felt himself smile as he watched the two. It was a good thing the blood that now pressed between the two wasn't permanent. Otherwise it was a shame that the soldier's nice white suit was going to be covered in the black blood of the monsters. Sebastian mocked his beast, singing loud enough for the wolf to hear.

"And they called it…..puppy love"

Sebastian heard a faint click and felt the barrel of Naoto's revolver press to the back of his head. The noise caused him to stop in his tracks and Volf to turn its large head and let out a growl, pushing past the soldier towards Sebastian as its veins began to glow again.

"Don't move, beast"

Sebastian looked to Volf and nodded his head.

"It's alright, Volf. It's going to be ok."

The animal stood still for only a moment before slowly beginning to pace from side to side, its glowing yellow eyes trained on Naoto as it moved. Naoto glanced to her persona and the soldier drew it's blade across her helmet before fading in a small glint of blue light.

"Naoto…what's your plan?"

Naoto pressed the revolver a little harder against the back of his head. She wouldn't miss at this distance. Worse so he knew that there was a blue tipped bullet in the chamber and would blow his head clean off if he pushed the wrong buttons again.

"The one responsible for the murders of those people is one who can enter this world. It's one that has free range to this world and has the abilities and skills necessary to kill in this plane of existence. You have those powers and those skills. Who is to say you aren't the murderer?"

Sebastian raised his hands up in surrender.

"I just saved your life detective. I know what you are capable of. Why would I save you just so you can figure out I killed those people later? To gain your trust? I feel as though I already had that with or without the previous altercation for the last three weeks."

Volf moved around the two, Naoto turning her and Sebastian as she watched the animal as it pulled it's sword from the sand and slid it into its black sheath. She wasn't going to take any chances with that animal.

Sebastian cleared his throat.

"Who is to say you aren't the murderer, Naoto Shirogane?"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Well for starters you have been hiding information from me. Lying about what you knew and your involvement in this case and your possible theories. You have been rather disgruntled at my involvement from the start. What if you're the killer?"

Naoto bit her lower lip. He was digging inside her head again.

"I love this town. Why would I want to kill these people? And didn't you already say you had a theory on who was responsible?"

"Damn. You remember me saying that. I know you aren't the killer, Naoto. And you know I'm not the killer. So put the gun away and let talk. Ok?"

Slowly he turned around; hands still high, the barrel pointed at his head. Naoto felt herself pull back when she looked at his face. Blood ran freely from his nose and down his mouth and chin. He leaned his head forward to prevent the blood from running down his neck and shirt. He had already lost his vest. He didn't want to spend the night scrubbing his shirt with a toothbrush and club soda to get the blood out. His right eye was deep red. She assumed he had popped several blood vessels in his eye when he had called his persona. With the swelling and deep bruising of his cheek under his eye, he looked as though he belonged in a hospital. She felt her gun waver and drift away from his head. Not out of trust, but out of sympathy.

Sebastian took advantage of that and hooked one of his fingers from his raised hand around the back of her trigger to prevent her from pulling it and firing. She did try though and let out a loud cough as he pulled her gun over his shoulder and pulled her against him, striking her with his knee sending her stumbling backwards although she tried to keep a tight grip on her gun. But when his leg raised and he kicked her in the chest, she felt her hand slip from the wooden grip of her pistol as she flew backwards onto the ground. She brought a hand up to her chest. Her bindings were making it difficult to breathe. And now, she had no weapon.

She leaned up to sit and charge him, but he turned the gun in his hand and pointed the revolver at her. She froze, scouring at him. She began to panic and her heart began to race. But she needed to keep quiet. He kept the gun trained on her for a moment longer before he popped open the chamber and tilted her gun backward to let all her bullets slide from their chambers. He snapped the cylinder closed again and tossed the gun into her lap.

Volf approached up behind Sebastian and stood towering over him. She took her eyes off Sebastian to look at the beast. It glared down at her with a growl; it's piercing yellow eyes staring through her. She wasn't sure if it was looking at her or her persona. The animal leaned its head down over Sebastian's shoulder and the man curled his arm around the animal's head. He took his eyes off Naoto and closed them, resting his head against Volf's maw. He scratched the side of Volf's head.

"Good boy…"

He turned his attention back to Naoto and approached her, Volf mimicking his movements with each step as though they were one and the same being. Sebastian offered his hand to help her up.

"I don't want you dead, Naoto. I want to help."

She sighed and looked to the ground, offering her hand to him. He pulled her to her feet and she winced, gripping her arm where pain still radiated at her elbow and along her chest. She looked up into his eyes and couldn't help but find herself drawn into his red one. She raised her hand to his cheek, lifting his eyelid and was careful not to hurt his bruise.

"Are you alright, Sebastian?"

"It will go away in a few weeks no doubt. But my back and cheek really hurt"

"They look painful"

He smiled and nodded his head. She smiled back.

"Volf…"

The beast growled quietly as it turned its attention to Sebastian.

"We need a way out. Would you mind?"

The animal let out a small snarl and bowed its head. Naoto watched as the beast lifted its leg and stomped it onto the ground causing the sand around the center point of his force to blast away. She shielded her eyes and waited for the dust to settle before removing her arm. Buried beneath the sand was an old thick tube television. She was accustom to them, but this was 2014. Tube televisions were long since a thing of the past. Naoto was a little surprised he had been given a way out so easily by this beast. Normally when on the previous case, Teddie was a necessity.

"Sebastian, an exit from this world isn't such an easy feat. How are you able to come and go as you wish?"

Sebastian smiled at her and winced, drawing his hand to his cheek.

"I think it's about time we had a little chat. Don't you?"

Naoto nodded and looked up to the large wolf.

"Thank you"

The animal nodded and reached out its claws onto Sebastian's shoulders, gripping them tightly as it pulled itself into Sebastian's body. Its form became the red translucent light as its form shrank and twisted becoming a mirror image of Sebastian as it pulled itself on top of his form and finally disappeared. Sebastian held no pain in his face or screaming or laughing at the event. Naoto made a mental note before climbing down into the television followed quickly by Sebastian.

Sebastian stood up from the carpet and walked over to his couch, falling back onto it, exhausted. Naoto followed suit and fell down in the chair at the far end of the couch. They said nothing for a few minutes until Sebastian spoke up.

"Naoto…"

She turned to him, her eyes heavy with sleep.

"Show me what you're hiding"

She was quiet for a moment and sighed as she looked to the ground. She reached up and grabbed the tip of her hat, hesitating.

"Naoto, I won't judge you. You know that"

Feeling a little more reassured she pulled her hat from her head and reached back, pulling the tie from her hair to let her locks fall onto her shoulders. It felt good to let her hair down. She set her hat down on the coffee table and slowly shifted her eyes to him. He was smiling.

"You look beautiful"

She felt her cheeks get hot and she slumped down in her chair, sinking into it.

"How long have you known, Sebastian?"

"Six minutes after you picked me up from the train station"

She was a little shocked. She prided herself on her disguise and her upkeep of it. Trying hard to stifle the little things and prevent suspicion.

"Why didn't you say anything? Or correct anyone when they referred to me as a male?"

"Why would I? You take pride in that disguise"

He slowly stood from his seat, pulling himself to get up. He moved for the kitchen, pulling two dish towels that were hanging from the stove and opened the freezer, filling them both with ice. He returned shortly after and handed her one of the make shift ice packs.

"Take your coat off. Get it against the skin."

She leaned forward to take it off before pressing the ice pack to her elbow. She leaned back with a small smile and a sigh as the pain began to dull. He flopped back onto the couch and held the icepack against his cheek. He had been more damaged from her punches than anything the shadows had done. Or perhaps it was just because he couldn't get an ice pack on his back. He closed his eyes, just enjoying the feeling of the ice against his skin.

"Ask away, Shirogane. I'm sure you have questions."

"How long have you had your persona?"

He leaned his head back up to look at her.

"My what?"

"Your persona. Volf"

"I don't even know what a persona is. Though I think Volf likes your soldier."

"Her name is Yamato-Takeru"

"And I'm not going to call her that. It's too long"

"Fine. How long have you had Volf?"

"Dreadvolf"

"What?"

"His name is Dreadvolf. Just for clarification. I call him Volf for short."

"How long?"

"Fourteen years"

"Fourteen?!"

Sebastian nodded quietly. His face changed in expression and she caught it. It hurt him.

"When my parents died I was three years old. Most people would probably think that a child of that age doesn't understand the concept of death or life. They probably think that this is just how things go and don't understand till later that death happens to everyone. But I understood."

He leaned forward in his seat and removed the icepack from his face. It would purple and black nicely.

"A three year old wouldn't understand the concept of suicide either. And they are probably right. But a six year old can."

He looked at her as she leaned forward in her chair and set her icepack down on the coffee table. She reached for her hat.

"Leave it off. You look good without it."

She hesitated and drew her hand back, folding her hands in her lap but remembering her elbow hurt and she wrapped her fingers around the pain.

"When they died I went to live with my aunt and uncle. They were nice people. They probably loved me as much as my parents could have. But I was a bad kid. I had lots of anger and rage inside of me. I was tough to raise."

He stood up slowly, making his way to the window and drawing back the curtain to the storm outside.

"So after almost three years with them and having plenty of time to sit in my anger and pain I decided I didn't want it anymore. I lost my parents and had no one to call my own."

She caught his hesitation while she reached for her icepack to place back on her arm.

"I…"

He smiled and looked down at his hands, rubbing them against one another.

"I wanted to die. I wanted to go away. I was tired of being angry and upset every damn day. So…I went into my aunt and uncle's bathroom and broke the bathroom mirror. And I found just the most beautiful piece of glass that fell from the wall. The most beautiful piece of glass I have ever seen. I cut myself on the arm with it to see if I was sure I wanted to do this. And oh boy, pain never felt so good to experience. I drew the shard of glass to my throat, and just as I was about to do it…"

He sighed and turned to face her.

"I heard a little voice inside my head. Wasn't mine. I knew that for sure."

He had a big smile on his face now as he reminisced.

"It called me a coward. Said I was too scared to do it. He kept referring to me as a 'little boy'. Which was true, but it still made me angry. It was Volf's voice. He had a weird way of talking me down. Insulting me, calling me out on my cowardice and childlike behavior. He told me that if I let him, he would help me develop as a person. He taught me how to think, how to fight, how to study. He would tell me when to exercise, how to deduce, and even how to read people. He taught me everything. But in return, I lost sleep. He would never let me sleep. Afraid that if I dreamed he would disappear into nothingness. So I stayed awake to keep my guardian safe."

"And he has been with you since then…"

"Every moment of every day for the past fourteen years. I can feel him inside me. Crawling and slinking around behind my eyes. I can hear him breathe and feel him move. You know what I mean"

She shook her head slowly.

"I'm afraid I can't say I do, Sebastian. I have only had my persona for two years. Granted to me upon accepting myself for who I really am…"

She considered lying to him but shook it from her head, speaking honestly.

"And then again when I accepted my first love"

"So…you don't have it speak to you? Guide you?"

"I'm afraid I don't"

Sebastian chewed the information over before making his way back to his seat and sitting down. He never took his eyes off her.

"Are…are there others like you, Naoto?"

"I'm sure there are. All my friends in the previous case are the same way. Including the perpetrator."

Sebastian folded his hands under his chin, staring off into space.

"Our murderer is someone like us. The ability to go into this other world with the same powers as us. But he chooses to kill rather than defend. Interesting…"

He turned to look at her

"Did you know Volf has a love interest in your persona?"

Naoto hesitated before speaking.

"I noticed your persona seemed to have a mind of his own. "

Sebastian nodded.

"He does as he pleases but always takes me into consideration."

"Is he talking to you right now?"

"No. he's quiet when you're around. I think it's because he's shy of your persona. He said he could feel it over your shoulder when we met at the train station. He said it rendered him speechless. Do you never speak to your persona?"

"I have never tried"

"When you are alone in the future, maybe you should."

Naoto had never really considered talking to her persona. Technically, it was a part of her. It existed inside of her. Did it have its own thoughts and feelings like Volf did? Did it long? Did it hate? Did it cry? She couldn't understand the concept of a piece of her having different thoughts and feelings from herself. Or were the thoughts her own but honest? Or made manifest and expressed through a being with a different pattern of thought than her? The whole idea made her head hurt. But at the same time, it opened up so many new possibilities to her.

Could she be more like…

"That's the trick isn't it, Sebastian? The trick is that Volf tells you things. He tells you where to look and what people are thinking. "

Sebastian felt himself smile.

"Volf talks to your persona who tells him what you really feel and then he relays the information. I can gather some information on my own. But having a being like him looking out for you really helps to impress and confuse. "

She could do what he did if she too could form a sort of connection with her persona. She would be able to see things differently or know where to look on a case. She could know where evidence was immediately and not waste so much time searching. It was like one big magnifying glass. The possibilities were endless.

"Naoto…"

"Hmm?"

"Who hurt you?"

Naoto felt herself sink into the chair a little more. She reached for her hat, something to hide herself, but he reached faster and took it off the table, plunking it down beside him on the couch.

"Please tell me, Naoto"

She sighed, folding her arms over her chest and pulling the bow around her neck loose before pulling back the top button of her shirt. It was too tight. She ran her hands through her hair and bit her tongue before speaking.

"Two years ago during the case I happened to become intimately involved with Dojima's nephew."

"What's his name?"

"Souji Seta…"

The words made her heart flutter, but filled her mouth with venom. He could taste it from where he sat.

"He was the first man I had ever been with. The first person I ever knew to accept me for who I was. No hesitation, no questions, no second thought. True acceptance. I grew quite fond of him. I had never met another person like him. Raw determination, a brilliant mind, strong, fast, and a charisma about him that flooded into all of us."

She looked up to him.

"He was our keystone in that investigation."

She was quiet for a moment, her eyes trailing off across the room. He could see she wasn't really there. She was lost in her thoughts and her memories. He could only sit there and devour them.

"He made me want to be me. He made me glad I was a woman so I could be with him. I was so happy to be a woman so I could be his girlfriend. And out of all the choices that he had in front of him, he chose me. I was honored."

She turned her head to look at him, intrigued now.

"Do you know what love is like, Sebastian? To be willing to give up everything to make someone happy? To put your well being on the line? Or your safety? Or even your life?"

"I can't say I do, Shirogane. I have always tried to stay away from relationships. With Volf in my head it's hard to be involved. The constant whispers and directions. Jealousy. Resentment. I'm too…screwed up to be in a relationship with anyone. I can't do it with Volf. I don't want to pile my problems on anyone. I've always found it better to be left alone. Not for my sake but for theirs."

She understood finally. Eating for two. His bag of tricks. His constant talking to himself. His growling. He and Volf were too integrated with one another for Sebastian to get any time to himself. Take him and you take Volf with him.

"I loved him so terribly. So much it scared me. Love is really a terrifying thing. Especially to someone like me with no experience and too much fear of messing it up. But for him, I would have done anything. "

She felt herself tear up and reached up for her hat to pull down but remembered she didn't have it. So instead and just tried her best to fight it back. Sebastian said nothing. If she was going to cry then so be it. They would come eventually.

"He was only here for a year in Inaba. Just long enough to finish his schooling for the year before he went back home. On the day he went home we were all there for him to see him off. W-we tried to be together as much as we c-could before he had to go home. "

He watched as tears began to run down her cheeks, but she was smiling. So he in turn smiled back.

"We spent all our free time together. Christmas eve and day exchanging gifts, new year's eve with our friends and Christmas day with each other. And valentine's day…oh valentine's day was wonderful. We spent the evening at the beach just being with one another holding hands. I f-felt safe around him. Accepted."

She choked but swallowed it hard.

"Happy…"

Her tears suddenly stopped and she leaned back in her chair. He stood up, heading to the kitchen to get her something, clicking the electric kettle on.

"But on the final day he was here, packed and ready to go home; we were all waiting with him at the train station. And there was nothing that I wanted more than to go with him. I was willing to leave my friends and family behind to go with him and be with him. I was willing to start all over again just to be with him…"

After a minute of silence he returned to her, handing her a cup of tea with a small slice of lemon in it. She smiled down at the cup

"Thank you"

Feeling a little more relaxed after the first sip she finished her story quickly. She didn't need to reminisce any more than she already had. The story was long and probably bored him. She noticed he was bored rather easily. But she could only assume that.

"He never wrote me, never called me, or sent me a letter or texted me or even left me a damn sticky note. He just…abandoned me."

She could feel the anger rising inside her but she squashed it with another sip of the blackberry tea. He had remembered.

"He abandoned all of us"

He sat quietly as he watched her, soaking and devouring what he could about the kind of person she was. She felt a bit jealous. Whatever it was she was taking away about his character was nothing compared to what he was taking away from her. It wasn't really fair. But then again, if she wanted to know something, all she had to do was ask him. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"I don't know how to retort to your story, Naoto"

She laughed quietly into her cup as she took another sip.

"May I work with you on this case, Sebastian?"

He nodded his head a few times.

"I would be honored. I'll have the work records e-mailed to you by tomorrow afternoon. I'll need your e-mail address. Just text it to me"

She set her cup down on the table and reached over for her hat when he offered it to her.

"I hope you don't mind Naoto, but I'm going to go lay down. Summoning Volf always just kills my energy. And being sleep deprived around you keeping Volf quiet doesn't help at all. And my head is just thumping"

She stood from her seat as he stood, slipping her hat back on. It was getting late.

"Sebastian?"

He stopped before he opened the door to his room. She looked down, tipping her hat down over her eyes as she stared at the floor. This wasn't right. She took a deep breath.

"Since the start of us working together, you have been kind, polite, appropriate, professional, and courteous."

"With exception for the past few weeks…"

"Knowing now the reason you shut me out, knowing I would have done the same…had…planned to do the same; I can't really hold it against you. I have been rude, ignorant, insulting, bitter-"

"-childish…"

"t-to name a few"

He could see her becoming physically uncomfortable and began to fidget with her hands.

"Is there...anything I can do to make it up to you?"

He stood quietly in the door for a moment as he considered her proposition. She slowly looked up to him as he approached.

"There are two things I want from you, detective…"

She suddenly felt very foolish for offering this man a request. He got close to her, staring down into her eyes. When she moved to look away he pulled the rim of her hat up to make sure she looked at him.

"For starters, if you ever withhold information from me or lie to me again-"

"I won't. I promise. I'll be honest. I'll speak my mind."

"-...Promise?"

"I swear"

He turned his head to the side, no doubt speaking to Volf.

"What do you think?"

After a quiet moment, he turned back to her and a small nod.

"Very well"

"And the second request?"

"I want you to come to dinner with me"

She was a little surprised at the request. Normally he was a little more devious with such a thing. They had had dinner before with one another. She didn't see how this was so unreasonable.

"We can do that if you like"

"And I want you to wear a dress"

She really shouldn't have been surprised, but that didn't stop her from tripping on her own tongue and her body betraying her as she blushed and felt herself both internally and externally reel back at the request.

"P-p-p-pardon me?"

His small smile had returned and he walked into the kitchen, opening his laptop that was on the counter. He punched his password and clicked a few keys as he spoke, searching for the page he had found earlier the week prior.

"When I arrived here I wanted to find a place I could call my own. At home I spend a few evenings a week at a lounge called 'High Red.' Upper class establishment. Play the piano after everyone leaves. I found one the other night. And…they…just happen…to have….dancing on Saturday nights."

He turned the laptop so she could see the advertisement for a club in Okina City. She had heard of the place from a few of her co-workers. 'Jack of Ace'. A terrible name. But there it was. Dancing with a live band on Saturday nights. She felt her shoulders slump in disbelief. Jack of Ace was an establishment much like the one he had described where he came from. A higher class establishment for those with a little more to spare. And she knew he had plenty of a little more to spare.

"We're going this Saturday. Wear a dress. No hat."

She needed to think fast. Think of a way out of it. She was **not** going to wear a dress.

"But if I run into anyone I know-"

"Who do you know that would go to a place like that?"

"Someone will notice-"

"Your disguise has fooled the detectives of the Inaba police. People who have spent their life trying to observe and solve crimes"

"I don't have-"

"We're going to get you one"

She was running out of excuses.

"I can't da-"

"I can teach you"

Then it dawned on her. He had that look in his eye again.

"You have already thought up an answer to everything I'm going to say, haven't you…"

His smile grew a little wider as he nodded his head.

"You have been rude, mean spirited, cruel, insulting…etcetera. And I want to go dancing with you to some nice man singing classic music from the 1940's in a Japanese accent in order to make up for it and you say…"

She looked down defeated but ran her hands along her face. Then her mood shifted to frustration and pulled at her hair letting out a yell.

"FINE!"

He smiled and snapped the laptop closed.

"We will get to work on the case in the morning. You can stay here tonight if you wish."

It was raining outside. Hard. She couldn't go home on her scooter in this weather. And there was no point in him driving her home if she was going to have to come back tomorrow for it. Instead she turned from him and walked into his bedroom.

"Good night, Sebastian"

She closed the door to leave him to the couch.


	16. Chapter 16

Naoto closed the door behind her once she entered the room. She was surprised his room was clean. She too, like him, could be neat and tidy on the outside. But her room was an absolute mess. She had enough room on her bed to sleep. Other than that she always kept her laptop by her bed for research and cloths absolutely covered her floor. Her desk was just as bad with disposable food containers stacked on top of one another although she tried her best to keep her keyboard and screen clean. With much success as it turned out. She liked to tell herself that all great minds were slobs.

He kept his room clean and tidy. Cloths were folded nicely in his dresser and hung his cloths neatly in the closet. She wondered for a moment about the other side of the argument that an empty desk was the sign of an empty mind. But he had two minds inside his head. Who was to say that Volf didn't tell him to clean up? She opened his drawers to his socks and underwear. She didn't shy away but found herself smirking at the way he folded his laundry. She began to unbutton her dress shirt as she moved around his room, pulling it open but not off as she unpinned the wrapping around her breasts and midsection to let her breasts come free and help her breathing.

She let the wrapping fall freely as she walked to his closet and began to move around his many suits. She ran her fingers along the material of each suit. All were cut the same way. He had these all custom created just for him. She took one of the black jackets off the hanger and slipped in on, buttoning up the first two buttons of the three button jacket. It was soft. It was even warm on contact with her open midsection. Is this what it felt like to be him? What a foolish idea. She couldn't know just by putting on his jacket.

She walked over to the dresser and looked at herself in the mirror with the jacket on. The arms were too long and the shoulders a little too broad, but it looked nice on her. She straightened herself out and reached up to button up the first two buttons of her dress shirt. She looked at herself in the mirror again and brushed off her sleeves. She looked good. She felt good in it. Professional.

"I am detective Naoto Shirogane with the Inaba police. I need you to answer some questions"

She smirked at herself in the mirror and reached up to take her hat off and shake out her hair. She turned to look at one side and then the other, sticking her chest out and sucking in her stomach although there wasn't much to suck in. she found herself almost idolizing herself in the mirror. It was a lovely jacket. She leaned her head down to look at the inside of the jacket. Maybe there was a breast pocket.

Then the smell hit her. She turned away from it at first but slowly drew the collar of the jacket to her nose, inhaling deeply. She held the breath inside of her, memorizing the scent and she felt her body get warm inside the material around her. She savored the moment and felt her toes curl against the carpet and her legs get a little weak.

"No"

She snapped out of her stupor and took the jacket off, hanging it back up in the closet.

"No no no no no no no"

She had left her hat on the dresser and went to retrieve it but noticed the bruise developing on her chest and stomach. She opened the buttons of her shirt again and opened it up over her shoulders. Her hands trailed themselves along the base of her ribcage and along the underside of her breasts where the bruise from their fight was showing. She pressed against it and winced, breathing through her clenched teeth. He had done a number on her.

When she looked at herself in the mirror, really looked at herself, she felt a little scratch in the back of her head. Just the smallest scratch. She leaned a little closer, looking into her eyes as her hands came up, crossing her arms over her breasts to hide herself from herself. She wasn't there yet. She was close though. But not quite there yet to really accepting herself. So close. His words returned to her.

'Do you never speak to your persona?'

'When you are alone in the future, maybe you should.'

She pulled her eyes away from her body and closed them tightly, focusing just on the sounds inside her head. She didn't know how this worked. Or if it even would. She was certain Volf was nothing like her persona. There was a drastic difference in the way she got hers in comparison to the way he got his. He had never faced himself in the shadow world to get his.

"Are you there, Yamato-Takeru?"

She waited in the silence of the room, standing with her arms crossed over her chest, her hands gripping at her biceps.

"Are you able to hear me?"

Again there came no response.

"Will you speak with me?"

She waited a moment longer before sighing and scratching her head. Perhaps Volf was more different after all. Perhaps speaking with a persona wasn't her thing. Still, perhaps it was a blessing. She didn't need another voice in her head always talking with her. Always thinking with her and speaking at the most inopportune times. Always keeping her awake with chit chat.

She unbuckled the belt from her slacks and slid them off her slender legs, letting them come to rest where she stepped out of them. She pulled her socks off and left them atop her slacks, leaving her in her dress shirt and dark blue underwear. She wasn't about to sleep naked in another man's bed. Though the thought of him having done it made her blush. But it was either that or nothing. And she wasn't about to sleep on the floor.

She pulled back the blankets of his futon which hadn't been put away the night before and laid down against the sheets, pulling the blankets up against the bridge of her nose. Although the bed felt foreign, it was comfortable to lie down in. After a long day like today, it felt good to lay down period. She breathed deep and tried to relax for sleep. But then the smell hit her again which caused another flash of warmth to run across her body. She was surprised at herself this time. She didn't shy away from it. Instead she breathed in his scent again. His shampoo, his deodorant, his aftershave, and even himself lingered in the blankets. She felt her eyelids relax and her legs draw up to her chest. She could feel her heart beating faster as she sunk her head under the blankets to breathe him in. He smelt wonderful.

"You like him, don't you"

The voice caused Naoto to bolt upright in the bed and she pressed herself against the wall tightly. It was a woman's voice. It was soft and yet there was such a strength and authority behind the softness that Naoto felt herself answering before she even knew who was talking. But luckily she had caught it before any words had come out and cupped both her hands over her mouth.

There was no one in the room with her. She was alone. Had it been Yamato-Takeru? Had her persona actually responded to her?

"Yamato-Takeru? Is that you?"

She whispered as she spoke. If she was to talk to her persona, she wanted to do it quietly. But no response came from either the room or the inside of her head. She was almost certain she hadn't imagined it. But after a few minutes passed she laid back down in his bed and drew the covers up to her chin and settled down for the night. Then she drew the covers just over the bridge of her nose, falling asleep to his smell.

In the living room, Sebastian sat with his laptop in front of him, the glow of the screen giving the only light available in the room. On the screen was a middle aged man in his early 40's. He was aging quickly and had streaks of grey along the sides of his black hair. He wore a burgundy red blazer over a black dress shirt. No tie. The man sat at a thick oak desk and stared into the camera of his computer. Sebastian sat quietly in the glow of his screen. He could physically feel his cheek and eye thumping in his head. He closed his right eye to let it rest. The man cleared his throat.

"How do you feel, son?"

"My head hurts, Sir"

"How is the case going?"

Sebastian was quiet for a moment, listening to Volf's instructions in his head.

"I'm running out of ideas that remain within legal obtainability. I may have to go to a source or two. Do some traveling if necessary"

"Well as always we will handle your travel arrangements. What were you thinking?"

"Phoenix next week. And if I can't follow the trail from there, then Russia three days after"

"Just for you?"

"My partner and I, Sir"

There was a moments silence between the two before Sebastian spoke.

"Sir, I was thinking of following the money"

"How do you know there is money involved?"

"Because something like this doesn't happen for free. No one does this for free. There is always an exchange between hands."

The man leaned forward and propped his head up on his folded hands.

"You need us to gather banking records without a court order."

"On several different people from several different countries."

"A tall order…"

"I know it will be difficult, Sir"

"Sebastian, why not just send a ghost to get information from a target? Interrogation."

"The thought had crossed my mind, Sir"

"But…"

"…but there's this girl…"

The man leaned back in his chair chuckling to himself quietly.

"There's always a girl, Sebastian"

"You don't understand, Sir. She's like me."

The man was quiet as his smile began to disappear.

"You're…you're certain."

"Saw it myself, Sir"

"I see…"

Sebastian pulled his phone from his pocket and plugged it into a small chord that he had stuck into one of the USB ports.

"I'm sending you her file now"

His phone beeped when the file was sent and Sebastian watched the man's face become a little brighter when he opened up the file Sebastian had sent him.

"Naoto Shirogane, is it?"

"Yes, sir"

The man sighed as he looked over whatever Sebastian had sent him, his eyes dancing across every word Sebastian had written about her.

"And you are saying she is just as capable as you?"

"If not more, Sir. I am giving her a recommendation right now, Sir."

"You really don't need a partner, Sebastian."

"I desperately need a partner, Sir. No one else will work with me. This is the one I want. I want her to myself."

The man sighed again and rubbed his eyes, before looking back into the camera.

"Son, finish the case first and then we will discuss this with her. Until then, you keep your mouth shut. Do you understand me?"

Sebastian opened his mouth to speak but closed his mouth shortly thereafter. He nodded his head, responding quietly.

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. I'm going to head out now. We have two new applicants coming in for an interview today and I want to test their mettle"

"One question before you go, Sir"

The man removed his hand from the top of his computer and relaxed in his chair, folding his hands on his desk.

"What is it, son?"

"If….when….I find the culprit…what should I do with them?"

"The same thing you always do: listen to your heart. We'll be in touch"

"Have a good afternoon, Sir"

"Have a good morning, Sebastian"

The man closed his computer from his desk which ended the call between the two of them. Sebastian rubbed his eyes and closed the laptop. He sat quietly in the darkness of the living room for a few minutes, hands rubbing against one another, unsure of what the future was to bring.

"You could always send a ghost to get the information on their records…"

"I know, Volf. But it just seems too slow. We need information. It would be faster if we just hacked the company's files than to send someone to ghost the place."

"It would be safer. Less of a trail. Perhaps pin the blame for the hack on someone else"

"No. If the person we are dealing with is that smart, then they will expect it"

His phone buzzed on the table in front of him. He checked the screen.

'Incoming call. Number blocked'

He swiped his thumb across the screen and turned on the speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hello Detective Chastity"

"Who is this?"

"You sound a lot friendlier on the phone than I expected."

"I try to give first impressions my all"

The voice chuckled on the other end. It was a younger voice. A teenager perhaps. Or a child.

"Why aren't you sleeping? Detective Shirogane is asleep and yet you remain awake"

Sebastian felt Volf roar inside his head as he stood up, dashing across the room to the bedroom and threw it open to check on his partner. A wave of calm rushed through his body and he fell against the doorframe when he saw her on her side, sleeping peacefully and rolling over to face away from the door. He put his hand to his chest feeling his heart beating erratically as a slight laugh came from his phone. He closed the door quietly and sneered as he walked back to it, turning off the speaker and pressing it to his ear. He closed the blinds of the family room.

"Scared you didn't I? It's good to see that under all that you are human after all. At the same time, you just exposed your hand"

"Who is this?"

"Just a fan. Did the files help at all? Any closer to solving the case?"

"How did you get this number?"

"I can find anything I need for the right price, detective"

Sebastian found himself pacing through the family room back and forth between the kitchen and the large sliding door leading to the back yard. Volf whispered quietly as though something else was listening.

"It's him..."

Sebastian felt a small smile crease his face.

"It's you, isn't it? The one we're looking for"

The laugh returned and the voice clapped their hands on the other side of the phone.

"I must say, Sebastian. With that reputation of yours, I'm a little surprised that it took you this long to figure it out. What have you learned so far about me? No. Don't tell me. It ruins the fun"

"What do you want?"

"Me? I want to help you catch me, of course"

"Why?"

"Because what's the fun in doing this sort of thing if you can't get caught?"

Sebastian felt his smile stretch wider.

"You know, under any other circumstance I think you and I would be good friends."

"That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

Sebastian slumped back in his chair as he flopped down on the couch

"So…how are you going to help me?"

"I'm going to play a game with you."

"Ok. What are the rules?"

"Straight to the point. Good. The rules are very simple. Rule number one: If tell you something, you can't tell your partner or anyone else. Understood?"

Sebastian hesitated. It was only the first rule, but he didn't think he could follow it. He wasn't one for keeping secrets. And after their little talk about holding back information…

"Ok…I'll try."

"There is no try, detective. There is following the rules or being punished for breaking them"

"….."

"Still there?"

"…ok. I'll follow the rule"

"Splendid. Rule number two: You can ask me any question you like. But the more revealing the question, the more I make things hard for you"

"So…if I asked who you were…"

"I would kill you and your partner"

Sebastian cleared his throat. He didn't want that.

"So I shouldn't ask that question then. Should I?"

"That's really up to you, Sebastian"

"If we're going to be on a first name basis…and I can't ask for your first name, what should I call you?"

"Call me…that's a tough one…"

"Does this count as a question?"

"No…no no. I'll give you this one"

"You're too kind"

"Call me….call me Simon"

"Simple Simon or Simon says?"

"Ooo. Simple Simon. Please"

"Can I ask about the rules?"

"Go ahead"

"What are punishments?"

"Well the least extreme is I make things harder for you as an individual. Then we work our way up to making things harder for your investigation and your partner, then we will go to say…killing someone else…and we'll move up with killing your partner and finally killing you both"

"So there is no way to keep Shirogane uninvolved?"

"Nnnnnnnnope"

"Ok, Simon. Can I have a moment to think of a question?"

"Of course. I have plenty of minutes on my phone"

Sebastian set his phone down and leaned back in his seat, placing his hands over his eyes as he tried to think. Things just got more complicated by this game Simon was now playing. What was he to ask? How was he to determine what was a revealing question or not? He needed to play carefully. And Shirogane…he would have to lie to her. He didn't know if he could even follow rule number one for this game.

Finally after a moment he leaned forward and cleared his throat as he picked his phone up.

"I have a question, simple Simon"

"Ask away"

"When are you going to kill next? You haven't killed anyone in four weeks. We're coming close aren't we?"

"Was that two questions?"

"No. Just the one. When are you going to kill next?"

"Four days"

Sebastian was quiet for a moment. He couldn't solve this in four days. It wasn't enough time. He wasn't going to be able to save whoever it was that was going to die. He bit down on his knuckles in his frustration. Another was going to die and he couldn't do anything to stop it. Neither he nor Shirogane could stop it.

"Are you still there, detective?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to let you go now, Sebastian. When I call, I do hope you will pick up. I don't like texting as much as you do. The point is harder to get across with just letters. You need to really hear it to really feel it."

"Wait-"

The call clicked. Simon had hung up.

Sebastian slumped back in his chair and tossed his phone against the couch beside him. He chewed his tongue thoughtfully. Four days till the next murder victim. Four days to get some serious work done. And who knew how much time it would be until Simon wanted to call him again. He could feel his heart racing and he took deep breaths to try and calm himself down.

"Look at it in a different perspective, Sebastian…"

Volf was right. There was always a second way to look at it. Simon…enjoys playing games. Young voice. Teenager was looking good but hard to accept. A boy being their murderer was a little farfetched. Perhaps there had been a program running on their phone to screw their voice up. At the same time, he had paid to get his number. That would require tracking down everyone he had ever given his number too. He could think of 24 individuals and scratched out twenty that were unflinchingly loyal to him. That left four people to question. But did he have time?

With the idea that telling Naoto anything would result in punishment, he would have to play the rules of the game to the letter. He would have to hide information from her to keep her alive. Interesting. And terrible all at the same time. But Simon would know if he said anything. Which meant…he was being spied on.

His attention was automatically drawn to the television and he went for it, turning the TV around to face the wall. He pressed it hard against it. At least this way if anything happened then there was a slow down for anything to get through. Or maybe he should have just broken the damn thing and replaced it later. Make 100% sure that their murderer couldn't just walk in. Sebastian was sure that they couldn't, but that didn't help his paranoia. He unplugged the television, unsure if that would work. He didn't want to touch the screen.

"Sebastian…you need to get some sleep. Deal with this in the morning."

"But what about you? Aren't you concerned I'll dream?"

"I am. But I'm not about to leave Yamato-Takeru now that I have her. Losing her frightens me much more than a dream"

"Do you…"

He sat down on the couch and took his jacket off as well as his tie.

"…do you think I should contact Margaret?"

"Let's leave that for now and come back if and when something goes wrong"

"We're frightened aren't we…?"

"We are. But we aren't going to lose them as long as we do our job. Get some sleep"

Sebastian laid down on the couch and closed his eyes. He wasn't so sure how much sleep he was going to get. But at this point, he was more concerned with the wellbeing of his partner than anything else. He wasn't about to put her life in danger for this case. He wasn't going to put her life in danger for his cause.

"Volf…?"

"Yes, Sebastian?"

"Am I feeling this way about her because of you?"

"It's a possible theory. But if you are because of me, then what does she feel about you because of her?"

Sebastian sighed and rolled onto his side to face the wall with the TV in the corner.

"We're screwed, aren't we?"

"Most likely"

Naoto stirred for a moment and rolled over in her bed. Slowly she drew her head out from the covers, smiling happily as his scent remained in her being. She opened her eyes and was drawn back quickly with the sight of Sebastian kneeling over her. She opened her mouth to speak but felt panic run through her instead as she drew the covers up to her neck quickly with a blush that set her face on fire.

"What are-!?"

"Get up. Have a shower. Get dressed. We're going out"

(Ok. THIS chapter will be the last till I get back from my trip. See you all soon. This is a little shorter than usual because I wanted to get it out before the trip.)


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